


one-night stands and unrequited love

by haos-parasol (HaosParasol)



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, anyways this is a shikakiba centric fic with some sns. bad decisions and angst. also sex., kiba & shika are idiot messes but its okay because sasunaru is there to save the day, kibas in love with shika. shikas in love with not addressing his feelings and being a jerk, sasunaru are just. in love w/each other, uni fic tho thats not really a central part. theyre just There
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-09-08
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:34:27
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 63,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25210960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HaosParasol/pseuds/haos-parasol
Summary: Who knew a drunken one-night stand with your friend could lead to all this mess?Literally everyone, Kiba.
Relationships: Inuzuka Kiba/Nara Shikamaru, Nara Shikamaru/Temari (its not a main i promise), Uchiha Sasuke/Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 34
Kudos: 100





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> its time for my yearly fanfic writing yeehaw y'all
> 
> no joke tho apparently i only write fanfics once a year. those are all oneshots tho and this?? aint gonna be that!!! (hopefully. unless i fall off the wagon which is entirely possible lmaaaaaaao)
> 
> anyways i havent watched naruto in a hot minute and so characters might be a lil ooc but they cant possibly be treated worse that kishimoto has treated them so thats fine!!! i hope all like. 5 of us who ship these two enjoy this little...mess i have made here
> 
> (also pls bear with the title and summary...if you have anything better tell me im begging you)

This shouldn't have happened. It absolutely, unequivocally, should _not_ have happened. Kiba should not have woken up in bed, naked, next to Shikamaru - a man who was very much so not single - and yet he had. He had, and he hated himself. There was a moment of time, barely long enough for him to take in a breath, where he thought he was dreaming.

But then Shikamaru rolled onto his side, and his leg brushed against Kiba’s under the sheets. The warmth from Shikamaru's skin made Kiba freeze, look to the sleeping man next to him and come to the horrifying realization that he was not still asleep and having a bad dream; he was, in fact, very much awake, naked, and sore in a place he should not be sore in.

Kiba was fucked, both literally and figuratively.

* * *

The night before had started out semi-normally for a Friday night for Kiba; after getting home from university he took Akamaru for a walk then got home to begin making dinner for him and his roommates, Naruto and Sasuke. Most of the cooking duties had fallen on his shoulders when he moved in with the couple because Naruto couldn't cook anything more than ramen and Sasuke couldn't cook...well, anything really. Growing up fantastically rich and with no need to ever cook for himself made the Uchiha even more useless in the kitchen than Naruto was. How the two had managed to eat anything before he moved in with them Kiba had no idea, but he was glad to help out his best friend and...sort-of, kind of friend. Plus Naruto and Sasuke had agreed he didn't need to pay as much rent if he cooked, so it was a win-win for him.

The dinner preparation went well - after he got Akamaru out of the kitchen that is - and dinner went smoothly as well. Afterwards he got ready for a party for...someone. A friend of a friend maybe? He wasn't sure and he didn't really care because it was Friday, he was single, and he wanted to get fucked up. Naruto told him not to go too far because he was quite the sloppy drunk but Kiba promised he'd be good.

He had his fingers crossed behind his back, but Naruto didn't need to know that.

He left around 8-ish, picked up some beer (he never went to a party empty handed, that was bad manners!), and met up with some friends and classmates on the way. After that though...things got a little fuzzy.

Kiba vaguely remembers entering the house to the party already in full-swing and he immediately went to the kitchen and took a shot of vodka? Tequila? Whatever it was it _burned_ and he quickly chased it with another shot which - shocker - burned as well. It was only brief though because one of his friends brought him a beer and then he was in 'get hammered more than he probably should mode' and he quickly stopped caring about taste. He wanted to get good and drunk, and good and drunk did he get.

He really, _r_ _eally_ should have listened to Naruto.

Sometime during the party he stumbled upon Chouji who brought him over to the group he came with; Ino, Shikamaru, Lee, and Neji who was looking less than happy to be in a room surrounded by drunk people.

After that...Kiba's memory starts to get a little bit worse. He knows he stumbled back to the kitchen to get everyone drinks (something he probably did more than once as they were all plastered by the end of the night) but then things sort of get muddled in his head.

He wasn't entirely sure why he ended up going home with Shikamaru but did that really matter at the moment? Not really.

Back to the present, Kiba was trying his hardest to not fling himself out of bed and run headfirst through Shikamaru's bedroom door. For one thing that would probably wake up Shikamaru and this wasn't exactly a situation he wanted to confront right now, and for another thing he had a massive headache and his ass hurt like a motherfucker.

Fate works cruelly though and Shikamaru began to stir beside him. Kiba held his breath and glanced at Shikamaru out of his peripheral vision. Maybe he'd go back to sleep and Kiba could quietly slip out, hoping the other would forget it ever happened? Oh no, fate is much more cruel still.

Shikamaru opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling for a moment, perhaps unaware of the presence of another person in his bed. But then he closed his eyes, and took a deep breath.

"I know you're awake."

Kiba opened his eyes then and looked at him, not entirely sure what he should do.

"Um...morning?" He chanced a question, hoping maybe, _possibly_ , Shikamaru wouldn't notice that they were both naked. He was trying to push the thought from his own head.

Kiba watched as Shikamaru sat up and rubbed his temples, his complexion pale and hair a mess. He looked every bit as hungover as Kiba felt. A shiver ran through him and he pulled the covers up to cover his chin then opened his mouth to say something when Shikamaru beat him to it.

"You should leave." Shikamaru looked at him and ran a hand through his hair.

Kiba frowned slightly as he stared up at him.

"Shouldn't we talk about why we're like...this?" He sat up as well and grimaced when he felt something cold and... _sticky_ under his thigh. He really didn't want to think about what _that_ was. It was too reminiscent of waking up from a wet dream.

Beside him, Shikamaru sighed.

"Troublesome. No, I don't want to talk about it. I remember enough about what happened, Kiba. Please don't tell me you want to relive it." He looked at him, then. His eyes were narrowed and Kiba could tell he was annoyed.

Kiba looked away and drew his lip into his mouth, biting at it nervously.

"It's not that I want to relive it, but are we just going to pretend it didn't happen...?" It came out slightly mumbled and Kiba glanced back at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru shrugged, and Kiba found himself more irritated with the others' dismissal than he would like to admit to.

"So...you just want me to leave without talking about anything? We had sex, Shika."

Shikamaru frowned at that but otherwise made no move to say anything. Kiba scoffed and stood up, faster than he probably should have but he managed to steady himself by grabbing onto Shikamaru's headboard.

"Whatever, man." He bent down to grab his pants and underwear, when he winced and felt a twinge of pain in his backside. "Fuck..." He grunted and nearly fell back onto the bed as he struggled to get redressed.

He looked at Shikamaru as he pulled his shirt on and noticed the other was watching him with minor concern.

"Are you alright?"

Kiba shook his head and made sure he had his phone and wallet on him, slightly amazed when he found them both still in his pants pockets. He wasn't sure how he hadn't lost them somehow, but he was glad he still had them.

"I got the impression you didn't want to talk about this," he grabbed his jacket - how did it get on _top_ of Shikamaru's closet door? - and pulled it on. "So just pretend I'm fine."

Kiba heard Shikamaru sigh and looked at him in time to see him shrug.

"If you want to be like that, then fine."

The attitude Shikamaru was taking with him was beginning to rub him the wrong way.

The Inuzuka scowled and crawled onto the bed, leaning over Shikamaru and glaring at him. He cursed himself internally when he felt his knees hurt - he _r_ _eally_ hoped he didn't blow Shikamaru - but he shoved it aside.

"Be like what, dude? You told me to leave, so I'm leaving." He gripped Shikamaru's chin and was slightly satisfied when he heard the others breath hitch. " _You're_ the one being an ass, after _you_ fucked _me_ last night." His gaze flicked down to Shikamaru's lips briefly before he pulled back and got off the bed.

They stared at one another before Kiba felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out to see that he had gotten almost a dozen texts from Naruto and he had a missed call from him. Kiba quickly stuffed his phone back in his pocket and walked to Shikamaru's bedroom door. He paused, let out a quiet 'bye', and left the room. He got a few steps before he stumbled and slumped against Shikamaru's wall. He had a headache, his legs, hips, and ass were all aching, and he was beginning to feel nauseous.

He took a deep breath and slowly made his way out of Shikamaru's house. The only thing that seemed to be on his side was the bus stop he could see at the end of the street.

This was not the way he wanted to start off his Saturday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like i used the word 'frowned' too much in this oof. also did these two feel like they changed moods a lot or is that just me ^^;
> 
> i hope this was okay tho bc i :') always struggle with writing, esp with writing fanfics,,,kill me
> 
> if you liked it kudos or comments are always so nice!!!
> 
> also im not sure when ill update this bc im still trying to figure out which direction ill take this but ill figure it out eventually...stick with me if u like it tho!!!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i listened to wonderland by dreamcatcher non-stop while writing this and i highly recommend listening to it if you wanna know the ~vibe~ i was feeling while putting this together
> 
> also theres some sasunaru here too bc i love them with all my heart and i wanna write them cute and in love ok thank u (they might be in this fic a lot throughout as a lil side-pairing,,,i dont wanna take away from shikakiba at all but,,,sns are my BABES)
> 
> double also but theres a little bit of nsfw stuff in this chapter so :’) its after the first two paragraphs, ive put a page break in and its in italics just in case anyone doesnt wanna read it
> 
> i hope you all enjoy this 💖💖💖

Kiba had only been on the bus for five minutes and he had felt ready to vomit for four of those minutes. He hoped this wouldn't be a very long bus ride because he was not in the mood to get sick on a bus. He had already managed to scare a mother into taking her young child up to the front of the bus - he couldn't blame her, he could only _i_ _magine_ how horrid he looked - and he had since slouched down in his seat and drawn his jacket's hood over his face.

Another reason he wished the ride was short is because, alone with his thoughts, he had remembered _much more_ of what happened the night before and he wasn't exactly psyched to re-experience all that he and Shikamaru had done.

* * *

_Shikamaru's hands were roving over the fabric of his hoodie before they reached the hem and Kiba could feel as the other slipped his hands under it. Kiba let out a pleased groan at the warmth from the other, the touches feeling like fire against his skin. Then Shikamaru's hands moved lower and gripped at his ass, making Kiba's knees feel weak as the Nara groped him roughly and_ squeezed _._

_ Kiba moved his hands from where they were placed on Shikamaru's shoulders and up into his hair; he took the brunet's hair out from it's ponytail and weaved his fingers into it. He tugged and gave a slight smirk when he felt Shikamaru groan against his neck. Something told him the other would like that, and he was pleased that he was right. Kiba was going to give another tug when he was roughly shoved against the wall. The Inuzuka let out a quiet grunt and looked at Shikamaru with narrowed eyes. That had hurt, dammit! _

_ Kiba opened his mouth to say something when Shikamaru cupped his cheek and rubbed his thumb over his lips. Kiba stared up at the other for a moment, a look of confusion on his face, before he felt Shikamaru slip his thumb into his mouth. Kiba let out a soft moan and rubbed his tongue against Shikamaru's thumb. He glanced up at the other then, and felt himself flush at the intensity of the other males gaze. _

_ Kiba didn't normally feel so vulnerable in sexual situations, but something about the way Shikamaru was treating him made his heart race faster than he could ever remember it doing in the past. The way Shikamaru was pressing him into the wall, his thumb in his mouth and staring at him with such a predatory look had Kiba's head spinning. He wasn't sure if it was his existing attraction to the other that had him feeling this way or if it was an effect of how drunk he was but he never wanted this feeling to leave. _

_ Then Shikamaru moved closer and pressed their lower halves together - Kiba felt his breath catch in his throat - and slowly removed his thumb from Kiba's mouth. Kiba stared up at him and followed after Shikamaru as he pulled his hand away, causing the Nara to smirk and grip his chin. _

_ "Like having something in your mouth?" _

_ Shikamaru leaned down and flicked his tongue against Kiba's lips teasingly; Kiba parted his lips at that and let out a short, breathy moan. _

_ "Yes..." _

_ Kiba could barely get the word out before Shikamaru pulled him into a fervent kiss. Their teeth knocked against each other and Kiba was sure he accidentally bit Shikamaru at one point but he didn't seem to mind. _

_ The Nara's hands had trailed downwards and he was gripping Kiba's backside again; Kiba eagerly pressed back into his hands and moaned into the kiss. _

_ Kiba's head was spinning and it was all he could do to grip onto Shikamaru's shoulders like they were a lifeline to keep himself from falling into a heap. They were only kissing but Kiba felt like he was being taken in by an incubus. Shikamaru's touches were electric and Kiba could feel his pulse in every inch of his body. _

_ It was intoxicating. _

_ Shikamaru pulled back suddenly and rested their foreheads together; they were both panting and Kiba looked thoroughly fucked out. He would have been embarrassed at his state if he wasn't as hopelessly aroused as he was. _

_ Feeling like he wasn't doing much, Kiba trailed his hands down the front of Shikamaru's body and stopped at the front of his pants. He cupped over the tent in the others' pants and looked up at him when he heard Shikamaru take in a short breath. They made eye contact and Kiba tugged his bottom lip into his mouth. _

_Shikamaru looked like he wanted to devour him and Kiba was ready to let him._

At that moment the bus must have hit a pothole or something because Kiba's head knocked roughly against the window - he doesn't know when he fell asleep - and he let out a loud groan. His head already hurt but now it was throbbing even more.

But there was a slight silver-lining as he saw that they were coming up to a bus stop that was near where he lived. Kiba was still a couple blocks away but he didn't care; he was getting off as soon as he could even if he would have to crawl home. He made sure he still had his phone and wallet (he'd been stolen from before on public transit so he was always a little wary) and, feeling satisfied he still had them, steadied himself on the seat in front of him and gripped it to pull himself up as the bus stopped. He stumbled his way to the front and managed to not fall - he felt more accomplished than he should have at that fact - and made his way off the bus. Kiba saw the mother and child who had moved away from him when he first got on and the child gave him a wide, toothless grin and waved at him. Kiba gave a slight smile and waved back, letting out a soft laugh when the child smiled wider and looked at his mum. The woman looked at Kiba with something between sympathy and disgust and pulled her child onto her lap. Kiba gave another small wave and stepped out of the bus slumping against a tree as the bus drove away.

Now that he was out in the fresh morning air he felt...well not exactly _better_ , but he supposed it was better than being in some stuffy public bus that was making him feel more nauseous by the second. He took a deep breath and began taking his walk home.

* * *

Kiba arrived home around 15 minutes later. He would have gotten home sooner but a car sped past him and he felt the world spin around him. He managed to catch himself on a nearby tree but it took him a good minute before he felt steady enough to walk again.

He was never drinking again; he was making a promise to himself this very second.

Kiba stumbled up to his door and didn't even bother trying to get his keys out; he just slumped against it - giving it a small kick - and hoped either Sasuke or Naruto opened it before he vomited against it. He had seen Sasuke's car in the driveway so he knew one of them was home, plus Akamaru was still there and they never left him alone.

The Inuzuka didn't need to wait long because the door opened shortly after and he, quite literally, fell in the door and onto whomever opened it. He didn't see anything orange so he figured it was Sasuke.

"Welcome back?"

The voice confirmed to Kiba that it was in fact the Uchiha and he barely managed to glance at him before he kicked his shoes off and rushed to the bathroom. He heard Sasuke sigh and follow behind him after he shut the door. Kiba was half-way through vomiting up what he felt was his _soul_ when Sasuke stepped into the bathroom and knelt down behind him, patting his back awkwardly.

"Rough night?"

Kiba let out a loud groan and proceeded to vomit again.

Sasuke got up from behind him and reached into the medicine cabinet, getting some painkillers. Kiba heard him leave - presumably to get water - and by the time he came back Kiba had wiped his mouth and laid down on the floor. He couldn't remember ever having a hangover this bad before and he was sure he never wanted one again.

He felt Sasuke crouch down and pick him up carefully. Kiba was glad for the help even if it was a bit odd coming from Sasuke. The two men had definitely gotten closer since Kiba moved in (it was mostly Naruto's doing because he was, and this a direct quote, 'not having his two most important people hate each other so they better get along or else he'd _make_ them get along') but they still weren't besties or anything. Still...Kiba was glad to not have been entirely alone right now.

Kiba took the painkiller when Sasuke held it out to him and quickly swallowed it down with water. He didn't know how badly parched he was but that water was like an oasis to him. Kiba let out a grunt and slouched forward, resting his forehead on Sasuke's shoulder. He held in a laugh when he felt the other tense up slightly at the action.

"Where's Naru?" He croaked out and scrunched up his nose at how scratchy his voice sounded. Is that how he sounded all morning? Yikes.

"He was worried about you so he decided to take Akamaru on a walk. He was practically pacing a hole in the living room."

Kiba sighed and pulled back from Sasuke. "I'm a big boy, he doesn't need to worry about me so much."

Sasuke shrugged and helped Kiba stand, placing a hand around his shoulders. "He was alright until you ignored his call."

Kiba braced his hands on the bathroom counter and looked at himself in the mirror. He looked like he'd been in some kind of fight. His hair was completely messed up and knotted, his face was pale, his eyes bloodshot, and his lips were completely bruised. He saw Sasuke looking at him and he let out a deep sigh.

"Don't ask."

Sasuke nodded slightly. "I won't, but you know Naruto will."

Kiba shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. It got caught on a knot and he winced as he pulled it out.

"Yeah..."

He felt Sasuke clap a hand on his shoulder as he left the bathroom and Kiba turned to him. "Hey, would you uh...would you mind getting me some clothes? I'm going to shower, so..." Kiba trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck. He felt weird asking Sasuke to do that.

Sasuke stared at him for a moment then nodded. "Sure. I'll leave them outside the door." Sasuke walked off to Kiba's room, the Inuzuka calling out a thanks to him before closing the door.

Kiba took a breath before starting to undress. He looked in the mirror and balked at what he saw. If he thought his face was fucked, his...everywhere else was _worse_.

Kiba's neck was covered in hickies (he was lucky his jacket was high enough to cover them), he had a few on his chest, and when he looked down...well, he knew why he was so sore. He had bruise marks on his hips - clearly from being gripped so damn hard - and when he looked at his thighs he saw he also had hickies there too! Kiba had no idea Shikamaru had such a fascination with marking people. He also noticed his knees were red and bruised; he must have given Shikamaru a blow-job the night before. Was that why his jaw was sore too? Kiba then turned around and noticed the small of his back had bruise marks as well, that looked suspiciously thumb sized. Just how many times did they have sex last night? Wasn't drinking supposed to make it more difficult to get hard or something? Kiba shook his head and looked at the door when he heard a few short knocks on it before someone walked away.

Kiba opened the door and saw Sasuke had left his clothes there. He bent down to pick them up and hissed at the pain shooting through his body. Now that he was sobering up he was starting to feel the pain even more so. The Inuzuka stood up with his clothes and closed the door when he felt something slowly trickle down the back of his thigh. He knew what it was, but he still nearly cried when he saw semen dripping down his leg. He quickly locked the bathroom door and jumped in the shower, turning the hot water on full blast and sighing as he stood under it.

Now that Kiba could relax for a minute the full weight of what happened the night before began to press down on him. He and Shikamaru fucked.

He and his friend Shikamaru.

His friend Shikamaru who was dating Temari, the sister of another one of his good friends.

Oh and did Kiba mention he had feelings for Shikamaru, feelings that had lasted for years and he was pretty sure were nearing love?

Kiba collapsed against the shower wall and clapped his hands over his mouth, a look of abject horror on his face.

_What the fuck had he done?_

Now that he had _fully_ come to the realization of what happened he wanted to collapse into a ball and cry. He wanted to go down the shower drain along with the water surrounding him. More than anything though he wanted to go back in time and stop himself because seriously Kiba, _what the fuck were you thinking_?

Kiba shook his head and grabbed soap to start getting clean; he felt extremely dirty all of a sudden and he needed to rid himself of the feeling of Shikamaru on him, around him, _in him_.

But with every mark he saw on himself, every little piece Shikamaru left behind on him he got flashes of memories. Snapshots of Shikamaru kissing his chest, his stomach, moving lower and spreading his legs, sucking hickies onto his thighs and moving lower still until Shikamaru had Kiba practically bent in half as he ate him out.

Kiba groaned and fell to his knees, burying his face in his hands because he hated thinking about what happened because...he liked it. He liked it then and he liked it now. He felt disgusting.

Kiba grabbed a bottle of shampoo and nearly dumped all of it on his head before furiously scrubbing it into his hair; it got into his eyes and it burned but he didn't care. At least it was a small distraction.

After that Kiba used up an entire bar of soap on his body. His skin was bright red from both the heat of the shower and his aggressive cleaning but he felt a little better. Not much, better but...it was all he could handle as the water was getting cold so he had to get out or he'd stay in forever and probably freeze to death.

Kiba quickly got out of the shower and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around himself as he got in front of the mirror and stared at himself. His hair was sopping wet and the hickies seemed to stand out against his skin even more so but he at least didn't look like he got beat up in an alley anymore.

He heard barking and opened the door just in time for Akamaru to barrel up to it and nuzzle his snout in the doorway. Kiba gave a small smile and laughed as Akamaru pushed all the way in, and he closed the door after him. The dog was wagging his tail rapidly and sniffing at Kiba's ankles, when he suddenly looked confused and looked up at his owner.

Kiba bent down to pet his head which quickly turned into a hug.

"Oh Aka...you have a stupid owner." Akamaru let out a whine and nudged his head against Kiba's as if to say, ' _You're the best! I love you!!!_ ' and Kiba simply held onto him and nuzzled his face into his fur. Then he heard a knock at the door and he looked up at it.

Naruto opened the door slightly and peeked in.

"Sasuke told me you had a rough night...how are you doing?"

Kiba could tell, from the maybe two centimetres of Naruto's face that he could see, that the blond was worried about him. The Inuzuka gave a small shake of his head.

"I'll be out soon."

Naruto stared at him for a moment before nodding and closing the door. Kiba sighed and looked at Akamaru.

"I've made a mess, Aka. A big one."

* * *

Kiba limped out of the bathroom a few minutes later, made his way to the living room, and promptly let himself fall face first on the couch. Akamaru followed after him and laid on the floor below him, looking up at him and letting out a loud huff. Kiba propped his head up when he heard Naruto sit down beside Akamaru. The blond smiled and laid his head against the arm rest.

"Hey, mutt." Kiba made a face at him and Naruto laughed. "S'uke said you like shit but I don't think you look that bad."

A foot hit Naruto's head out of Kiba's field of view and the Inuzuka let out a quiet chuckle as Naruto whined and swatted the offending foot away. Sasuke sat down on one of their chairs and looked at Naruto dryly.

"Shut up, idiot."

Naruto turned around briefly to stick his tongue out at his boyfriend - which earned him a one-finger-salute in return - before looking back at Kiba. "So...what happened last night? Have fun? Was this morning your walk of shame?"

Kiba rolled his eyes and pressed his face back into the couch cushion. He heard Sasuke tell Naruto to, 'not ask so many questions at once,' which he was graceful for but now he could practically hear the blond pouting.

The Inuzuka pushed himself so he was sitting on the couch and Naruto quickly climbed up beside him, waiting expectantly. Kiba sat cross-legged and pulled a pillow onto his lap, playing with the corner of it nervously. He could sense Naruto looking at him with worry, and he even thought Sasuke was slightly concerned as well.

"So...I fucked up. Really badly."

Naruto and Sasuke shared a look before Naruto looked back at Kiba. "How badly? Worse than the time you tried to fight a cop when you were drunk, or managed to get on a plane and ended up in Guam? I think you're still on some sort of list for that one, man." Kiba appreciated Naruto's attempt at trying to make a joke but it just made him feel like more of an idiot.

"Nothing like that. It's...worse. It's a lot worse." He started biting at his lip nervously and he looked at Naruto when the blond grabbed his shoulder gently. He could see the worry on his face and he felt horrible. Kiba took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "IsleptwithShika." He said it all at once in a rush and saying it out loud made him feel like a pile of bricks had just landed on his shoulders.

The room was quiet for a moment and Kiba opened his eyes slowly to notice both Naruto and Sasuke staring at him in complete shock. Naruto opened his mouth shortly to say something, then must have found himself lost for words because he turned to look at Sasuke. The two shared the same puzzled look before the Uchiha cleared his throat.

"You slept with him? You mean...?" Sasuke let his sentence hang in the air, hoping maybe Kiba didn't mean what he was obviously thinking.

Kiba nodded curtly and clutched at the pillow in his lap. "Fucked, banged, had sex with...however you want to put it, that's what we did." He shrugged and moved the pillow to the side so he could pull his knees up to his chest, resting his chin on them.

Beside him Naruto reached a hand out and placed it on his back. "Oh, Kiba..." The blond reached for his friend and wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug. "What are you going to do?" Kiba shrugged in Naruto's hold and leaned into him.

"I don't know." He mumbled out and looked at Akamaru when the dog lifted his head up and rested in on the couch beside him. Kiba gave a wry smile and reached out to scratch the top of his head. "He told me to leave as soon as he woke up and didn't want to talk about it at all. I think he probably hates me." Naruto frowned and pulled back a bit to look at him.

"He kicked you out?"

Kiba gave a slight shrug as he moved his hand to scratch underneath Akamaru's chin. The dog closed his eyes and nuzzled his owner's wrist, giving a small yip in appreciation. "Not really kicked me out; he didn't _make_ me leave but...he definitely didn't want me there." Kiba sighed and turned his head to look at Naruto. "I really fucked up."

Naruto shook his head and kissed the others’ temple. "Not just you, he did too. ...He _was_ an active part in it, right?" At Kiba's huff of indignation and elbow he received in his side Naruto gave a soft apology. "How did it happen? Do you remember?"

"Partly. I don't remember how or why it started but I definitely remember all that we did..." Kiba felt his skin flush. "We were both really drunk and," He furrowed his brows. "I might have asked if I could stay the night or something? I don't know." He felt Naruto nod softly above him, his blond hair brushing Kiba's cheek.

"Well...at least you didn't do it sober?" Naruto offered as a sort of conciliation. It didn't really do much, but Kiba was glad for the effort.

"That doesn't change things, but thanks anyways."

Sasuke cleared his throat from where he was sitting. Naruto and Kiba turned to look at him.

"I could try talking to him if you wanted. I'm closer to him than either of you are, and he might find it easier to discuss with me."

Kiba stared at him, a little shocked at the offer. "Oh..." He thought for a moment then shook his head; a small smile appearing on his face. "I appreciate that but I don't want to drag you into this. If anyone needs to talk to him about this it's me."

Sasuke reached out to pet Akamaru as the dog trotted over and placed his head on his lap. "You've told us now so we're already involved a little bit. Besides," He looked up at the Inuzuka. "You're our friend. We'll always be here to help you."

Beside Kiba, Naruto nodded and gave a bright smile. "Sasuke's right! We're on your side, Kiba." The blond pulled back and rubbed his back reassuringly.

Kiba stared at them both and felt himself smile again. "Thanks, guys." He rubbed his head and stood up. "I think I'm going to go to sleep. I feel like trash."

Naruto nodded and watched as Akamaru followed Kiba when he went to his room, the Inuzuka limping slightly. When he heard Kiba close his bedroom door, the blond got up and moved to where Sasuke was sitting; he leaned down to give him a chaste kiss before straddling his lap. Sasuke wrapped his arms around his waist and looked up at him, an eyebrow raised.

Naruto grinned and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. "You were really nice to Kiba, offering to talk to Shikamaru for him." He let out a laugh when Sasuke grew a faint blush and averted his gaze.

"We have become sort-of friends since he moved in and I figured if I could help then I should." Sasuke rubbed his thumbs over Naruto's hips and kissed his collarbone. "And I guess he's not all that bad." He mumbled against Naruto's skin.

Naruto let out a pleased hum and ran his fingers through his boyfriend's hair. "I told you so~" The blond cuddled down closer to him. "My ice princess is melting. I think I should buy a mop." He gave a soft yelp when Sasuke swatted his ass and he looked down at him.

"Call me that again and see what happens."

Naruto smiled mischievously. "Oh? Maybe I'll fuck around and find out...icy." He chuckled as Sasuke gripped the front of his shirt and pulled him down into a kiss. "This isn't a punishment, you know." He whispered against Sasuke's lips and felt the Uchiha smile in return.

"I know." Sasuke murmured in between more kisses and slipped his hands under Naruto's shirt, rubbing over his stomach and slowly moving up to his chest. He felt the blond shudder and he gave a soft chuckle. "What? Too _icy_ for you?" He teased.

Above him, Naruto pouted and gave his lips a soft peck. The blond cuddled into his lover and rested his head on his shoulder. "Don't use that against me." He felt Sasuke's laugh rumble through his chest and he smiled. "Hey...let's make dinner for Kiba tonight?" He looked up at the other.

Sasuke looked down at him, thinking for a moment before nodding. "We can try, sure. Promise not to burn down the kitchen?"

Naruto hummed. "Shouldn't I be asking you that, Mr. tried-to-cook-a-whole-soup-can-in-the-microwave?" Naruto let out a yelp when Sasuke pinched one of his nipples. "Bastard!"

Sasuke simply pulled him down for another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i cant believe i got this up so fast i am THRIVING rn you guys
> 
> next chap is going to have some s*x in it so strap in yall 😎
> 
> so...how did people like this?? im still insecure so any kind words would be lovely~ i also love kudos and comments!!! leave one if you like 💖 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> initially when i wrote this story i wasnt going to put sex scenes in it bc id never done it before and now ive spent over 2k words on just a blow job scene so. so thats cool i guess
> 
> also i literally spent like 10 minutes thinking about long Shika's dick should be for this fjbjfd i cant believe it. oh and this entire first part is ALL sex so strap in!!! (its also all a dream but thats fine,,,it happened. just know that)
> 
> also also this is my first sex scene in fic format so i hope its alright!!! written a lot in rp before but never like this so uh. yeah
> 
> oh and PLEASE do not read this if youre under 18 its in! a! prop! ri! ate!!! youre a child (i dont mean that rudely)
> 
> enjoy 💖

Kiba and Shikamaru stumbled into the Nara's bedroom in the midst of making out and roving their hands over whatever area of the others bodies that they could reach. They ended up bumping into the door jamb and nearly fell over together but Kiba managed to reach out and grab the side of the door to steady them. Shikamaru pulled him close, then; ended up spinning them around and pinning Kiba to the door with his wrists over his head.

Kiba let out a moan and looked up at the other man; he loved the control that Shikamaru had over him right now but he didn't like not being able to touch the other. He leaned his head up and gave a soft nip to the underside of Shikamaru's jaw, relishing in the shudder he garnered from his action.

"Shika..." He breathed out against his skin and flicked his tongue out teasingly against the spot he had bit. "Don't you want me to touch you?" Kiba trailed kisses up Shikamaru's neck until the other tilted his head down and their lips just barely touched.

Kiba felt like he was going insane.

Shikamaru leaned in and gently bit at Kiba's bottom lip before pressing closer and slipping his tongue into the Inuzuka's mouth. Kiba wiggled his wrists in Shikamaru's grip and keened into the kiss, wanting, _needing_ , more contact. He rubbed his tongue against Shikamaru's and thrust his hips forwards, letting out a low groan when he finally got some friction against his erection. Shikamaru moaned into his mouth then and pulled back slowly; he looked down at Kiba and Kiba felt his breath catch in his throat. Shikamaru's eyes were darkened with such a lustful expression that Kiba felt he could cum on the spot.

"Please..." Kiba wiggled his hands in Shikamaru's grip again and looked at him pleadingly. When Shikamaru didn't release him, he raised his leg up and rubbed his thigh between Shikamaru's legs, pleased at the moan it earned him. Shikamaru's fly was already partially undone as Kiba had tried to give him a blow job earlier. He'd made it onto his knees with his hand drawing the zipper down when Shikamaru had grunted out that they should move to his bedroom then had tugged Kiba up and practically dragged him to his room. Kiba hadn't even _seen_ the others cock yet and he was already so ready for it. Suddenly he felt the pressure released from his wrists and his arms fell down to his sides. He looked up at Shikamaru and nearly lost it at the predatory look he was giving him.

Kiba wasted no more time before sinking to his knees and tugging Shikamaru's pants down. He felt Shikamaru slide a hand into his hair and he looked up at him. Shikamaru was staring down at him, his eyes blown and cheeks flushed; Kiba felt he probably looked to be in the same state. The Inuzuka reached a hand up to rub over the tent in Shikamaru's boxers. He watched as Shikamaru let out a moan and tilt his head back. Kiba smirked to himself and leaned forwards, mouthing at the front of Shikamaru's boxers and revelling in the tug of his hair he received. He could have sat here all night and teased Shikamaru if he wasn't so eager to have his cock in his mouth, so he took in a breath and pulled his boxers down. Kiba watched as Shikamaru's cock twitched in the air of his room and he bit his lip.

Shikamaru's size was...more than adequate. Kiba surmised he was around 7-inches in length and of average girth. He wrapped his hand around the base and let out a soft moan at the weight of it in his hand.

It had been far too long since Kiba had been with a man like this and he couldn't wait to be dicked down. But first, back to the manner at hand...er, mouth.

The Inuzuka leaned up and flicked his tongue out, lightly rubbing it over the head. Above him, Shikamaru groaned. Kiba grinned to himself and flicked his tongue into the slit. If there's one thing Kiba was confident in it was his ability to give an _amazing_ blow job. He hoped Shikamaru agreed.

Kiba started to stroke the base slowly as he twirled his tongue around the head before closing his lips over it and giving it a soft suck. He felt Shikamaru's grip in his hair tighten and he figured that was a good sign so he sucked again. He heard a loud groan and looked up to find Shikamaru staring down at him. Kiba gave a slight hum around the head.

"Fuck..." Shikamaru cursed softly and thrust his hips instinctively. Kiba reached his hands up and placed them on Shikamaru's thighs to still him; Kiba didn't want Shikamaru's cock down his throat _this_ early. He still had things he wanted to do first.

Kiba flicked his tongue into the slit again and moaned when pre-cum beaded onto his tongue; he normally didn't like the thought of swallowing _any_ cum, but right now, with Shikamaru, he wanted it _all_ . He gave another swirl of his tongue over the head before slowly moving down and taking more of Shikamaru's cock in his mouth. He knew his cheeks and jaw would ache after this but he couldn't be bothered to care at the moment.

He moved down, running his tongue over the underside as he did, and stopped when his lips reached his hand. He flicked his gaze up to look at Shikamaru and moaned when he found him watching him with rapt attention. Kiba didn't think he'd ever been as turned on before as he was now; being watched by Shikamaru was like an aphrodisiac. He took in a deep breath through his nose before beginning to bob his head shallowly, focusing on taking Shikamaru as deeply into his mouth as he could handle. Kiba could hear the others' breathing starting to quicken and he gave a soft hum around the cock in his mouth knowing how good it would feel. The loud moan that followed was the sexiest sound he'd ever heard.

Kiba squeezed the base of Shikamaru's cock as he pulled off, releasing the head with a soft 'pop!'. He went down and flicked his tongue against Shikamaru's sac, grinning at the way the Nara thrust his hips up. He continued to stroke the base of Shikamaru's cock as he licked a trail from his sac, along the underside of it, until he reached the head again. He looked up at Shikamaru as he gave the tip a teasing suck.

Above him Shikamaru braced his forearm against the wall and leaned into it, resting his forehead against it as he stared down at Kiba. "Jesus _fuck_ , Kiba..." He panted out and thrust into Kiba's hand.

Kiba flicked over the slit teasingly with his tongue again and gazed up at him. "It's good?" He smiled when Shikamaru gave a jerky nod. "Good." He moved back down and licked his sac lightly, still making sure to stroke him. "I'm getting used to it now...you can thrust if you want."

Kiba let out a soft gasp when Shikamaru tugged on his hair, bringing his face back up to the head of his cock. He parted his lips when Shikamaru pressed the head against them and he let out a soft moan when the head slipped back inside his mouth. Shikamaru must have been holding back just how much he wanted to fuck Kiba's mouth which made his pulse quicken with excitement.

He placed both hands on Shikamaru's thighs, knowing if he kept one around his dick it would just get in the way, and he did his best not to gag when Shikamaru's cock hit the back of his throat. He heard Shikamaru curse above him and he looked up from where he was; Shikamaru's cock was as deep in his mouth as it could go and his nose was nestled in the black curls at the base of it. Kiba was sure his eyes were watering too but he didn't really care about that.

Shikamaru was panting and Kiba could tell he was still holding back a bit. Kiba took Shikamaru's hands in his own and placed them on either side of his head, humming around his cock at the look Shikamaru gave him. He barely had time to adjust before the other was drawing his cock out of his mouth before plunging it back in.

Kiba nearly choked and he loved it.

The Inuzuka kept his throat as relaxed as he could as Shikamaru thrust into his mouth over and over. Then one thrust Kiba went down and _swallowed_ around the head, his throat constricting around it. He gagged then and pulled off, coughing a few times and panting heavily. He rested his head against Shikamaru's thigh and gave it a slight kiss. He looked up when he felt a tug on his hair.

"Kiba...fuck." Kiba smiled and flicked his tongue against the side of his cock.

"Close?" He saw Shikamaru nod and he wrapped his hand around the base again. "Good." He took Shikamaru's cock back into his mouth and started to bob his head on it enthusiastically. Shikamaru was thrusting a bit slower and jerkier now, so Kiba could tell how close he was getting. He made a point to look up and make eye contact with the other as he went down and swallowed around the head again, loving the way Shikamaru moaned at his actions. Kiba could listen to him forever. Shikamaru tugged on his hair, attempting to pull him off before he came but Kiba shook his head and gazed up at him. He wanted to watch as Shikamaru came undone.

It took only a few more thrusts before Shikamaru came. Kiba managed to pull back in time so just the head was in his mouth but it was still a lot to take in. Kiba wasn't used to swallowing but...he found he didn't mind this time. It was salty and bitter and overall _gross_ but Kiba was too far gone to care about that. He stared up at Shikamaru as he swallowed it all and then pulled off, panting heavily.

The Nara fell down to his knees with a grunt, panting just as hard as Kiba was. They were both flushed and Kiba knew he looked a mess; he could feel saliva and cum on his lips and he knew he ended up crying from gagging, but Shikamaru seemed to love it as he surged forward and kissed Kiba hungrily. Kiba let out a low moan and wrapped his arms around Shikamaru's neck, pulling him close. Shikamaru reached down and gripped his hips almost possessively; Kiba felt himself shudder at how it felt.

Shikamaru pulled back and rested their foreheads together. Kiba blushed. "Why'd you kiss me? I swallowed..." He trailed off when Shikamaru pecked his lips again.

"Because I'm not a wimp who's grossed out by his own cum." He smirked and stood slowly, pulling Kiba with him. Kiba stood with him and ran his fingers through Shikamaru's hair, wrapping his legs around Shikamaru's waist when he was picked up.

Kiba looked at him curiously and moaned when he was held in place by Shikamaru cupping his ass. "I've never seen you so active before...I didn't know you could be like this." He let out a gasp when Shikamaru leaned in close and bit his neck. He gripped onto him tightly and closed his eyes as the spot was sucked on. When Shikamaru pulled off he gave the mark a lick and Kiba shuddered.

Shikamaru smirked and gave him a light spank. "I'm really only like this when I get drunk." Shikamaru spanked him again and moved them to the bed, dumping Kiba onto it and crawling on after him. "I didn't know you could suck dick so good. I know you said you liked something in your mouth but...fuck, Kiba."

Kiba laid on his back and looked up at Shikamaru when he moved over him. "I'm really only like this when I'm drunk too." He bit his lip when Shikamaru moved between his legs. Shikamaru stared down at him and cupped his cheek, running a thumb over his lips. Kiba gave his thumb a light kiss and closed his eyes. "What are the chances you'll be able to get it up again and fuck me?"

Shikamaru chuckled and moved his hand down to slip under Kiba's shirt. "Oh don't worry...we're not done yet."

Kiba shivered and arched into Shikamaru's hands. Every touch from Shikamaru was arousing him and he couldn't get enough but...there was something in the back of his mind that was telling him to stop. He ignored it though. He figured it couldn't be a big deal.

Kiba really needed to learn to listen.

* * *

Kiba awoke with a start and stared up at his ceiling, panting and feeling as if he had run a marathon. He rested his hand over his heart; it was beating as if it were trying to break out of his chest. The Inuzuka rolled onto his side, pulled his covers over his head and curled up under them. Was he going to dream about this every time he fell asleep?

He groaned and punched his mattress. He couldn't believe everything that happened in his dream actually fucking _happened_ . Kiba couldn't remember a time he had ever acted like that during sex and he didn't know if he should be impressed or disgusted by himself. He figured disgusted was more appropriate though, all things considered.

Kiba suddenly heard voices and sounds coming from the kitchen and he had a brief moment of panic because almost every time Sasuke and Naruto tried cooking they nearly burned the house down. He didn't hear anything to be alarmed by so he figured things were fine. He felt his phone buzz in his pocket and he pulled it out, unable to stop the hope that bubbled up in him thinking it might be a message from Shikamaru. It wasn't.

He had gotten a message from Hinata asking if he was alright because she hadn't heard from him since before he went to the party. Kiba sighed and let his phone fall from his hand. The party was the last thing he wanted to be reminded about right now. He knew he should message Hinata back because she might be worried but...fuck, he really wasn't in the mood.

Kiba flung his covers off of himself and sat up. When he saw the message from Hinata he noticed it was around 6PM and he figured the noises he was hearing was Sasuke and Naruto making dinner. He didn't know if he'd really have the stomach for much but...he'd try. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood, grateful to not feel as hungover as he had earlier because that was the absolute _worst_ . He also didn't feel anything sticky in his pants and upon checking was pleasantly surprised he hadn't had a wet dream. Things might be looking better for him! ...but then he took a step and realized his ass was still sore.

So, overall a loss.

He made his way out of his room, Akamaru trotting behind him. Kiba walked to the kitchen and peeked in, having had one too many bad experiences there after Naruto or Sasuke decided to cook. He looked around and observed that nothing seemed to be broken or on fire. He was pleasantly surprised and took a step into the room. "You guys managed to cook without burning the place down?"

Naruto pouted and looked at him from where he was stirring something on the stove. "I resent that. We haven't _always_ had a problem in here. Besides, I managed to actually make something this time!" Beside him, Sasuke snorted and grabbed three bowls from a cabinet.

"You opened a can of soup, Naruto." Sasuke swerved away in time to miss Naruto swatting him with the towel.

"At least I didn't catch our microwave on fire." He grinned when Sasuke rolled his eyes and brought the bowls and spoons to the table.

"Will you ever let that go?"

"Nope~!" Naruto laughed when Sasuke grabbed him from behind and playfully nipped at his ear. "Stop, I don't want to make a mess!"

Kiba watched them with amusement and turned to walk to the table. He sat down and propped his head up on his hands. Sasuke and Naruto had been together since their senior year of high school, but they hadn't always been the couple they are now. In the beginning, Sasuke was romance-averse and had stamped down any romantic feelings he had for Naruto and convinced himself he only wanted him sexually; Naruto on the other hand was head-over-heels for Sasuke and pushed himself to the brink in order to get Sasuke to at least _look_ at him if they weren't fucking. It was one of the main reasons Sasuke and Kiba didn't get along for so many years; Kiba _knew_ the Uchiha had been difficult for purely selfish reasons and wasn't caring at all what it was doing to Naruto.

Kiba saw how much it destroyed his friend (he had stayed up more nights than he cared to count consoling a broken-hearted Naruto) so Kiba was always so happy to see them where they were now; in a stable, loving relationship where they trusted each other wholly.

He wanted what they had. He so desperately wanted to be loved the way they loved each other. Kiba sighed.

Naruto looked at him as he walked to the table with the pot of soup. He sat down with Sasuke and he smiled. "You look better. How did you sleep?"

Kiba shrugged. "I slept fine, I guess."

Naruto tilted his head. "You guess?"

Kiba blushed slightly and rubbed the back of his neck. "I had...a dream." He distracted himself by filling up his bowl with soup.

Naruto stared at him for a moment before his mouth formed an 'O' and he nodded.

He started to eat his soup slowly, not wanting to burn himself. He took a bite and gave a soft hum of appreciation at it. It was only canned soup but it might as well have been a filet mignon. He looked up when he felt Naruto watching him and he smiled. "It's good."

Naruto grinned brightly. "We wanted to make you dinner since you're...you know." Kiba rolled his eyes.

"I'm hungover, not dying."

Naruto gave a soft hum, smiling mischievously.

"That, and you got your back blown out. You can't walk without limping." Sasuke choked on his soup beside him and started coughing. Kiba flushed and kicked at Naruto under the table, causing the blond to whine and reach down to rub his shin. "Hey!"

Kiba gave a huff of indignation. "You deserved that, blondie." Naruto stuck his tongue out at him and began eating his own soup.

"Maybe...it was funny though. Also true. By the way," He looked at Kiba over the table. "What are you going to do about what happened?"

Kiba glanced up at him before looking down at his dinner. He stirred his spoon in his bowl absentmindedly and shook his head. "I'll have to talk to Shikamaru about it. I can't just ignore it ever happened."

Naruto worried his bottom lip between his teeth. "...why can't you?"

Kiba looked at him, frowning slightly. "What do you mean?" He felt Naruto reach over and place his hand on his in a gesture of comfort.

"Just...why do you _need_ to talk about things? Wouldn't it just be best to let it go?" Naruto rubbed the back of Kiba's hand. "Are you planning on telling Temari about it?"

Kiba sighed deeply and flipped his hand over to lace his and Naruto's fingers together. "If we just kissed or if he was single I'd probably be able to let it go, but...we did so _much_ , Naru." He looked at him, his expression distressed. "I _need_ to talk about things. You know how I feel about him." He gave Naruto's hand a squeeze before pulling back. "I don't know what I'll say or if it'll completely ruin our friendship but that's my problem." He smiled wryly. "As for telling Temari...I don't know what I'm going to do about that. She needs to know and I don't think Shika will tell her, but I don't know if I should tell her either. I'm not close with her and...to be honest, I'm scared of what she'll do. Also there's not doubt that Gaara and Kankuro will be pissed at me too." Kiba ran a hand through his hair and slumped back in his chair. "She deserves to know though, right?" Kiba looked at Naruto.

Naruto looked at Sasuke briefly. The Uchiha cleared his throat and looked at Kiba. "Well," he started. "You need to think about _why_ you'd tell her. Is it because you feel guilty, or because you think she should be aware of what happened? You also need to think about if she'd find out otherwise. If she never finds out and things don't change between them, you telling her could make this a bigger situation than it needs to be. Although, if she _does_ end up finding out someway and neither of you told her that could be a problem too."

Kiba stared at him for a moment. "Would you want to know?" Sasuke gave him a questioning look. "I mean...okay, if Naruto cheated on you with someone, would you want to know?" Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other briefly, with Sasuke nodding after a moment.

"I...guess I would, yeah." The Uchiha looked back at Kiba. "But I think everyone will react to something like this differently. I don't know if you want my advice but," He stood and grabbed everyone's bowls. "If I were you I'd talk to Shikamaru and go from there. This is between you guys and I'm sure he'll have something to say about this too."

Kiba groaned quietly and dropped his head to the table. "Can I just go back in time and not do what we did? That seems easier than whatever I need to do now." Naruto reached over and ruffled Kiba's hair.

"It'll be okay, pup. Even if things don't go well I'll always be here!" Naruto said.

Kiba grunted. "Yeah..." He stood up. "Thanks for dinner. I'm going to try to go sleep again." He looked at Sasuke. "You know martial arts, right? Mind knocking me out so I don't have anymore dreams?"

Sasuke huffed out a laugh and shook his head.

Kiba sighed and shrugged. "It was worth a shot." He gave the two a backwards wave as he made his way to his bedroom.

Naruto watched him leave and sighed. The blond walked to where Sasuke was washing their dishes and he wrapped his arms around him from behind, resting his head on his shoulder. "I'm worried about him, S'uke." He whispered.

Sasuke turned his head to kiss his temple. "I know, but Naruto...this isn't your problem, okay? I know how you get but please don't make yourself sick with this. This is Kiba and Shikamaru's issue and they need to be the ones to deal with it." He dried his hands off and turned around in his lovers' arms. "You can't do anything about this."

Naruto nuzzled his head into Sasuke's neck. "But they're our friends." He said, a twinge of sadness in his voice.

Sasuke sighed and rubbed Naruto's back. "They are and I know how close you and Kiba are but you can't fix their problem for them." He looked down at the blond. "They need to do things themselves, okay? Promise me you won't meddle." Naruto opened his mouth to protest and Sasuke shook his head. "Promise me."

Naruto grumbled out a quiet 'I promise'. Sasuke kissed the top of his head and gave a soft smile. "Good boy." Sasuke rubbed his hands over Naruto's waist and chuckled as he felt the other relax into his hands.

Naruto leaned up and kissed Sasuke's neck lightly. "I just want them to be okay, you know? I mean, we all have the same group of friends and if this screws things up I worry it could break up all of us. Plus," He gave a quiet sigh. "You know that Kiba's had a crush on Shikamaru for years. It's just such a mess." He hid his face in his boyfriend's neck.

Sasuke nodded and moved his hands to cup the blonds cheeks. "I know, but it's going to be okay. Trust them a little." He gave Naruto a soft peck on his lips.

Naruto pouted and kissed him back. "I'd trust them more if they didn't end up getting drunk and having sex." He mumbled. Sasuke chuckled and rubbed his thumbs over Naruto's cheeks.

"Shh..." He whispered, shushing Naruto before leaning down and kissing him. Naruto relaxed into him, letting out a pleased hum and winding his arms around Sasuke's neck. Sasuke looked down at the blond as he rested their foreheads together. "I love you."

Naruto smiled and ran his hands through Sasuke's hair. "I love you too," The blond nudged their noses together. "But kiss me for real."

And Sasuke did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im losing it i feel like they were so ooc in the sex scene but they were drunk and people act differently in sexual situations so maybe theyre just Like That idk...you tell me what you think tho!!! im planning on having them be more in character in later chapters (esp shika. gotta get that lazy boy attitude back) bc i feel like they can be a lil better
> 
> also i hope yall like sasunaru bc i love writing them so cute and in love and in such a good relationship so expect them a lot!!! they give me a shot of serotonin right to my brain,,,god bless


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this has more sex...hope yall like it 'cause here it is (theres so much...the sex scene on its own is almost 6k words)
> 
> my face was so red and i was mortified writing part of this which is shocking bc i did it all the time when i used to rp but this...idk. its different in fic form for me (points to u if u figure out what part im talking about oof)
> 
> i hope you all enjoy this!!! 💖💖💖

Shikamaru had his hands roaming anywhere on Kiba he could reach; his arms, torso, his legs...everywhere. They were teasing though, feather light; they felt like shadows trailing over his body and Kiba found himself craving more. He ached to feel how much Shikamaru wanted, no, _needed_ him. Needed it the way he needed air.

The Inuzuka reached up and placed his hands on Shikamaru's shoulders, stilling him momentarily. He groaned at the look he received; it was mischievous and incredibly alluring. He knew that Shikamaru was doing this all on purpose, was teasing him until he'd end up bursting and _beg_ for more. Kiba couldn't last much longer like this. He was aching for something more powerful, more dominating, and he knew Shikamaru could give it to him.

He just needed to tell him what he wanted.

Kiba grabbed Shikamaru's hands and moved them down his torso, going lower still and stopping when they were on his thighs. "Shika, please..." He thrust his hips up and shuddered as Shikamaru rubbed slow, gentle circles over his inner thighs with his thumbs. "Touch me." Kiba looked down at the other, biting his lip as Shikamaru moved over him, trailing his hands along his body.

"You should have asked sooner." Shikamaru leaned down and kissed Kiba. The Inuzuka quickly returned the kiss and moaned against Shikamaru's lips, his hands coming up to grip his forearms. Shikamaru chuckled and pulled back, trailing kisses down Kiba's neck and chest. He stopped at a nipple and flicked his tongue over it lightly. Above him, Kiba shuddered.

Kiba moved his hands to Shikamaru's hair, tugging on it lightly. Shikamaru moaned against his chest and licked his nipple again. "Fuck..." He kissed over it then continued moving down, licking a trail down Kiba's torso. He stopped near his belly button and sucked a hickey onto the spot, loving the way Kiba squirmed above him.

The Inuzuka let out a quiet laugh and watched him. "That tickles..." He breathed out and watched as Shikamaru pulled off to lick the spot. "You like making marks?" He bit his lip when the Nara looked up at him.

Shikamaru gave the fresh hickey a teasing nip. "I like making known what's mine." Kiba moaned at that and writhed around under Shikamaru's touch.

"Yours..." He whispered and felt himself grow harder and what that implied. The nagging thought was in his head again; the thought that he shouldn't be doing this.

But then Shikamaru moved down and all rational thought left his head.

Kiba let out a low, keening sound and he thrust his hips up against Shikamaru's mouth. There was a plea on his lips as Shikamaru wrapped his hand around his cock and started to stroke him lazily. Shikamaru swiped his tongue over the head and Kiba saw stars.

Shikamaru chuckled quietly and rubbed his thumb over the slit. "Hand me a pillow."

Kiba looked down at him curiously and handed him a pillow that was on Shikamaru's bed. "Why?"

Shikamaru kissed his thigh as he took the pillow. "To make things easier." He looked at Kiba and winked at him. "Hips up."

Kiba flushed slightly and did as he was told. Shikamaru didn't _l_ _ook_ to be hard again yet so Kiba wasn't sure why they needed extra leverage. "You got hard already?"

Shikamaru smirked as he positioned the pillow under Kiba's hips. "No. I have something I'm going to do first." He kissed along Kiba's thighs and pushed them apart slightly. He glanced up at the other as he pulled him down on the pillow more, his hips positioned over the edge of it.

Kiba looked down at him and bit his lip, sensing what the other wanted to do. "Shika...I've never had that done to me before..." He ended off in a moan when Shikamaru gently sucked a hickey to his inner thigh.

Shikamaru kissed the skin and nudged his thighs apart slightly further. "Do you want to try?" He looked up at the Inuzuka and smirked when he saw him nod. "Good..." He kissed his thigh once more before pushing Kiba's legs up.

Kiba blushed and pulled his legs up to his chest, wrapping his arms around the underside of them and holding them up. He couldn't _believe_ this was happening, or that he was letting it happen. It must have been the alcohol clouding his brain because normally if someone would have propositioned him with a rim job he would refuse. It wasn't that Kiba didn't want to try it per se, but more that he felt embarrassed about it. But with Shikamaru...he felt that anything could happen and he'd be okay with it.

In his heart Kiba knew it was less the alcohol and more his love for Shikamaru that made him feel confident, but he didn't want to think about that right now.

Kiba gasped and clenched his hands into fists when he felt Shikamaru flick his tongue out and run it teasingly over his entrance. It felt...well, if he was being completely honest, _strange_ but it also felt nice. Kiba was forever grateful he always kept himself _c_ _lean_ , if you know what I mean.

There was a pause in Shikamaru's actions and Kiba felt like he must have stopped, but then he felt fingers gently spreading his cheeks apart before Shikamaru ran his tongue over his entrance again; it was a bit firmer of a press this time and Kiba heard himself gasp at the feeling. Shikamaru continued to swipe his tongue over Kiba's hole, and Kiba was quickly finding it to be his favourite feeling.

Then Shikamaru pulled back slightly and Kiba felt him positioning his fingers in a V-position around his hole, parting it gently before the Nara slicked his tongue inside, just past the rim. Kiba let out a loud moan and quickly moved a hand from around his legs to cover his mouth. He clenched his eyes shut and threw his head back, clamping his hand down over his mouth. Kiba knew he was making the most obscene sounds he'd ever made and it was mortifying; he wished he could stop but Shikamaru was doing things with his tongue he'd only imagined being done to him before.

If Kiba came only from this he thought he'd die from embarrassment.

Shikamaru pulled away slowly and Kiba let out a low whine of disappointment, his face burning bright red when he heard himself. Shikamaru sat up and kissed one of his knees, moving his thumb to slowly rub over Kiba's entrance. Kiba was panting as he looked up at him.

Shikamaru chuckled and kissed his knee again. "Everything alright?"

Kiba's face went even redder and he nodded, not trusting his voice to come out steady if he were to try and speak. Shikamaru grabbed the hand Kiba was covering his mouth with and placed it on the bed beside him. Shikamaru smirked when Kiba looked at him. "Find something else to do with your hand because you're done covering your mouth. I want to hear all the sounds you make." He didn't wait for a reply from Kiba before he made his way back down and began licking him again.

The action drew out a soft moan from Kiba's lips and he fisted the sheets under his hand. He wasn't sure why Shikamaru wanted to hear him but he felt compelled to do as he said.

With every lick Shikamaru gave to Kiba's entrance, the Inuzuka felt a little bit more of his sanity slipping away. He was making the lewdest of sounds and it seemed to be spurring Shikamaru on more and more. Kiba was turning into a mess; he was panting and moaning and writhing and he couldn't remember the last time he felt this much pleasure in his life.

He figured he probably never did feel this good, because suddenly Shikamaru was thrusting his tongue inside him shallowly and Kiba emitted the most embarrassing mewl of his life and he arched his back off the bed. He felt rather than heard Shikamaru's chuckle and he gave a weak protest of 'shut up', not knowing if the other even heard him and finding he didn't care either way.

Then Shikamaru reached a hand up and wrapped it loosely around the base of Kiba's cock. Kiba moaned low in the back of his throat and thrust his hips into Shikamaru's hand before bucking back against his mouth. Both sensations felt amazing and he was sure he'd come soon if Shikamaru didn't stop.

"S-Shika, wait..." He barely managed to stutter his words out before he let out another embarrassing mewl as Shikamaru pulled back to lick over his rim lightly, teasingly. He felt Shikamaru pull away and he slumped down into the bed, panting heavily. He looked up when Shikamaru moved over him. Kiba let his legs fall down and he reached for Shikamaru.

Shikamaru hovered over him and rubbed at his thighs.

Kiba shuddered and closed his eyes, trying to catch his breath. Shikamaru leaned down and kissed under his left ear. "You okay?" He breathed out and Kiba bit his lip as he nodded.

"I'm fine...but I was going to cum." Kiba grunted when Shikamaru nipped at his earlobe. The Nara trailed kisses from his jaw to his lips; they felt like fire to Kiba.

"I figured so. Do you have any idea how you sounded?"

Kiba flushed and nodded, his lips parting in a gasp when Shikamaru started stroking him again. "Fu-uck..." Shikamaru gave a groan of approval at Kiba's reaction and closed the distance between their mouths, immediately slipping his tongue inside. Kiba reached up to tangle his fingers in Shikamaru's hair, gripping at it tightly. He was thrusting into the Nara's hand, pleasure coursing through him so fast he thought he would start crying.

Shikamaru pulled back briefly to nip at Kiba's lips before he pulled back completely. Kiba followed after Shikamaru as he pulled away from him, a slight pout on his kiss-swollen lips. Shikamaru chuckled and sat up. Kiba watched him and moaned when he noticed Shikamaru was hard again. "I want it..." He murmured and covered his mouth when he realized he said that out loud. Shikamaru smirked wickedly and wrapped his hand around his own cock, grunting at the feeling.

"You want this?" Shikamaru asked.

Kiba hesitated for a moment from embarrassment before nodding and reaching out to wrap his hand around Shikamaru's, aiding him in stroking himself. Shikamaru let out a low moan and tilted his head backwards. "Shit..." He closed his eyes when Kiba rubbed his thumb over the slit. "Hands and knees. Now."

Kiba looked up at him, the authority in Shikamaru's voice leaving no room for argument. The Inuzuka quickly got up and moved the pillow he was propped up on to the side. He turned around, facing away from Shikamaru as he positioned himself on his hands and knees. He looked at the other over his shoulder and watched as he grabbed a tube of lube from his bedside table. Kiba felt his pulse quicken as Shikamaru crawled back to him. He placed the lube to the side and began running his hands up and down the back of Kiba's thighs gently. Kiba shivered at the feeling and spread his legs apart a bit.

"You know...I never really looked before but your ass is amazing."

Kiba pressed back against Shikamaru and moaned when he felt the other spank him. "I know." He looked at the other over his shoulder as he rocked his hips slowly, rubbing against Shikamaru's cock and causing him to moan. He let out a contented sigh at the feeling.

Shikamaru spanked him again and picked up the lube from where he had dropped it on the bed. Kiba watched him intently.

"How many fingers do you usually need?" Shikamaru asked as he popped the cap on the tube.

"I'm fine with two but," He glanced at Shikamaru's cock. "I think I might need three with you."

Shikamaru chuckled and squirted some lube onto his fingers, spreading it around as he placed the lube down. "You're probably right." He spread the excess lube around Kiba's hole, the Inuzuka whining at the sudden cold feeling. Shikamaru spread his cheeks apart with his free hand and Kiba drew in a breath when he felt the others' middle finger move inside him slowly.

Shikamaru was watching him carefully for any signs of discomfort. When he showed none, Shikamaru started thrusting his finger in shallowly. He exhaled sharply at the feeling of Kiba around his finger. It was warm and so damn _t_ _ight_. He couldn't imagine how it would feel around his cock.

Below him, Kiba was panting and grasping at the sheets under his hands, beginning to rock himself back onto the finger inside him. "Fuck...I can take another." Shikamaru moaned lowly and pulled his finger out before replacing it with two. Kiba took them in easily and gave a soft gasp at the feeling. Shikamaru was taking things a little too slow for his liking so he rocked his hips backwards and turned his head to look at the Nara. "You can be a little rougher, I'll be fine."

Shikamaru stared at him for a moment before he smirked and started to thrust his fingers. "Mm, is that so?" Kiba moaned in the back of his throat and nodded, rocking back onto the fingers eagerly.

"Yes...god, _please_!" Kiba's breath hitched and he felt his arms collapse under him when Shikamaru started scissoring his fingers. The Inuzuka pressed his face against the sheets and keened when Shikamaru leaned over him and kissed between his shoulder blades.

"Rough enough for you?"

Kiba nodded shakily, his head brushing against the bed sheets. "Just like that, please..." His words melted off into a silent scream as he tugged at the sheets, tightening around Shikamaru's fingers. "There...!" His words choked off into a sob when he felt Shikamaru brush over his prostate again. "God..." He rocked his hips back jerkily onto Shikamaru's fingers.

Shikamaru straightened up to look down at Kiba, watching him with rapt attention. He rubbed his back slowly, feeling the muscles flexing and contracting with every movement Kiba made. The Nara felt powerful like this; he never thought he'd be able to reduce someone as strong and confident as Kiba into a writhing, moaning mess beneath him. He loved the feeling and needed more of it, needed to make Kiba come undone more than he already had.

Shikamaru needed to ruin him in the most beautiful way.

He began thrusting his fingers faster and scissoring them a bit wider, groaning at the way Kiba tightened around him. Beneath him Kiba was making the most alluring sounds he'd ever heard; all low drawn out moans and breathless whispers of his name. Shikamaru added a third finger, and stilled when he heard Kiba cry out. The Inuzuka's hand shot out behind him and grabbed Shikamaru's wrist, stilling him.

"Fuck, wait..." Shikamaru watched him, his brows knit together in concern.

Shikamaru leaned over him and kissed the back of his neck. "Is it too much? Should I stop?"

Kiba was gasping under him and the Inuzuka shook his head. "Don't you _dare_. It's just," He tilted his hips up a bit. "It's been a while since I've done this, so..." He trailed off. He rocked his hips back experimentally and groaned when he felt a small sting of pain.

Shikamaru nodded slowly and nuzzled the junction of Kiba's neck and shoulder. "Mm..." He grabbed the tube of lube and pulled his fingers out gently, rubbing Kiba's lower back when he heard him hiss. Shikamaru squirted more lube onto his fingers and pressed them back inside, moving slowly and kissing along Kiba's upper back as he did so. He could tell Kiba was trying to relax himself. He was pleased because while he didn't want to hurt Kiba he also didn't know how much longer he could wait. Shikamaru _needed_ to be inside him.

Kiba was breathing deeply and rolling his hips back gingerly, the pain slowly subsiding and making way for pleasure. "O-kay...you can move them now." He looked up when Shikamaru pecked his cheek, turning his head to look at him. His lips were quickly captured by Shikamaru's in a fierce kiss. Kiba immediately melted into the kiss but pulled back with a strangled gasp when Shikamaru slammed his fingers into him. "Ah! Shika!"

Shikamaru let out a low growl and pumped his fingers into Kiba at a fast, steady pace. He made sure to brush them over Kiba's prostate, wanting to make the other man lose himself to pleasure. He leaned down, placing his lips beside Kiba's ear. "I'm going to make you _s_ _cream_ for me." His voice was low and gruff and it sent shivers up Kiba's spine.

Kiba had never felt so controlled before, so wholly and completely taken over by another person. It was making him lose himself and he felt he could get addicted to this feeling. Kiba bit down on his lip and raised himself up on his arms slightly, thrusting himself back on Shikamaru's fingers. He moaned and turned his head to the side, looking up at the other. "I...I'm fine now, please..." He pressed an open-mouth kiss to the Nara's lips. "Fuck me." His eyes flicked upwards, gaze locking with Shikamaru's. He swallowed thickly at the look on the other's face. Kiba felt like a prey that was about to be completely devoured.

Shikamaru stared at him as he pulled his fingers out at a teasingly slow pace. He smirked mischievously. The Nara rubbed the tips of his fingers against Kiba's entrance lightly, loving the way it made the other mewl and writhe around. "Mm...are you sure you're ready? You're still so _tight_." He chuckled when Kiba whimpered and shot him an annoyed glare. It would have been intimidating if Kiba didn't look as aroused as he did.

Kiba reached behind himself and wrapped his hand around Shikamaru's cock. The Nara grunted and thrust into his hand. Kiba pumped him in his hands a few times. "If I'm so tight, wouldn't you want to have this inside?" He leaned up and flicked his tongue against the others' lips. "Because I _need_ it inside." He whispered and pressed his hips back against Shikamaru's hand, moaning when Shikamaru spanked him.

Shikamaru growled in the back of his throat. He grabbed the lube, opened it, and squeezed a large amount on his cock. He thrust into Kiba's hand and moaned when he felt Kiba spreading the lube along his length. He glanced down at the other, smirking when he noticed the other was trembling. "You're fine with no condom, I'm guessing?"

Kiba looked at him and nodded quickly. "Yes! Please, just...take me." He moved his hand off Shikamaru's cock and braced his hands on the bed. He spread his legs apart and looked at Shikamaru over his shoulder. " _Please..._ "

Shikamaru groaned at the plea and gripped the base of his cock. "Fuck..." He moved behind the Inuzuka and pressed the head of his length against the others' hole. "Don't complain after if I make you cry." Kiba opened his mouth to make a rebuttal when Shikamaru pressed in the head. He dropped his head with a low moan, his back bowing.

Shikamaru sucked in a breath and kept his hand around his cock as he pushed in achingly slowly, barely stopping himself from slamming inside and taking Kiba roughly. They had time to be rough later; right now, he wanted to savour this moment. When he was balls deep, he stilled and moved his hands to Kiba's lower back; he moved his thumbs into the dimples there and gripped him steadily. Below him he could hear Kiba panting and whimpering. He sounded barely able to _breathe_ and Shikamaru adored that he was able to draw such a reaction from the other man.

Kiba grasped at the sheets of Shikamaru's bed, his fingernails tearing into the fabric and ripping it. He couldn't ever remember feeling so good before in his entire life. Kiba was far from a virgin and had had his fair share of partners over his life, but he'd never had someone who touched him the way Shikamaru had. The way the Nara had taken over his senses, controlling him and making Kiba do things he had never thought he would do...he had waited for something like this entire life.

Kiba wanted Shikamaru to hold this power over him forever.

The Inuzuka huffed out a moan when he felt Shikamaru start drawing out of him slowly. His waist was being gripped hard enough that he knew he'd have bruises but he didn't care. Instead he loved the idea; loved the thought that he'd have a reminder of this encounter after it was over. Kiba tugged on the sheets that were fisted in his hands when Shikamaru began pushing back inside of him. He could feel the throbbing of Shikamaru's cock and he gave a strangled moan at the feeling. He was completely filled with Shikamaru but...it still wasn't enough. He needed more. He bit his lip and rolled his hips back against Shikamaru experimentally. Above him, Shikamaru moaned loudly.

"God, Kiba...can I...?" His question hung in the air unfinished, but Kiba knew what he was asking regardless. There was a second when Kiba took a deep breath before nodding. Shikamaru didn't waste another moment before drawing out and slamming back inside.

The action drew a scream out from Kiba's lips and he buried his face in the sheets, embarrassed he so easily lost himself in the feeling. Shikamaru dug his thumbs into Kiba's back harder and thrust into him at a ferocious pace. He could barely hear Kiba's sounds as the other had his mouth effectively covered and Shikamaru hated that. The Nara reached his hand down and gripped Kiba's hair. He drew the other up roughly, pulling him until Kiba's back was pressed against his chest. He thrust into him fully and paused his hips. "I told you I wanted to hear the sounds you make." He tugged at the Inuzuka's hair again, satisfied at the whimper it drew from him. He moved forward and kissed the corner of Kiba's lips before flicking his tongue against them.

Kiba parted his lips, panting heavily. "I..." He sucked in a breath and pressed his back more firmly against Shikamaru's chest, closing his eyes when an arm wrapped around his front. He was trapped and he loved it. "It's embarrassing..." It was barely a whisper but Shikamaru heard him loud and clear nonetheless. He smirked and drew out before pressing back inside fast and rough.

"You have no idea how you sound, do you? I'm hard like this because you sound so _sexy_. Besides," Shikamaru set a steady pace. "How am I supposed to know if you like it if I can't hear you?"

Kiba moaned loudly and rested his head back against Shikamaru's shoulder. "Fuck...I love it, Shika..." He slid his gaze to look up at the other and placed his hand over Shikamaru's. "I...I've never felt so good before." He squeezed Shikamaru's hand and cried out when the Nara began thrusting harder into him.

Shikamaru moaned and claimed Kiba's lips in a bruising kiss. He rubbed his tongue against the Inuzuka's, swallowing down every whimper and moan the other man made. He moved the hand that was on Kiba's chest down, wrapping around his cock and stroking over the length teasingly.

"Mmf!" Kiba moaned out against Shikamaru's lips and thrust into his hand. Shikamaru moaned as well and pulled back, giving Kiba's lips a chaste peck as he did so. Kiba stared at him, his lips open in a silent moan. He closed his eyes as Shikamaru pumped him in his hand, rubbing the head with his thumb and smearing pre-cum over it. Kiba panted and grabbed Shikamaru's wrist to still him. Shikamaru looked at him curiously. Kiba flushed and shook his head. "I'll cum too soon if you do that...I want this to last."

Shikamaru gave a low, deep chuckle and kissed Kiba's neck. "It's that good, huh?" At Kiba's fervent nod, Shikamaru pushed him down so Kiba was back on his hands and knees. "Then let's make this last as long as we can." Kiba barely had time to hold himself up before Shikamaru took a rough pace with him. The Inuzuka let out a pleasure filled cry and rocked his hips back when Shikamaru thrust forward. The force of Shikamaru's thrusts was driving Kiba _i_ _nsane_ and even without any other stimulation he didn't know how long he'd last.

Then Shikamaru hit his prostate. Kiba screamed out the others' name and his back bowed; his hands tugged at the sheets and he felt them rip more than they already had under his grip. Above him he heard Shikamaru groan as Kiba's muscles clenched around his cock. The Nara thrust into him shallowly, his cock brushing over Kiba's prostate and causing the other man to cry out again. Shikamaru let out a groan and he pulled out. Kiba let out a half whine, half moan at the action when Shikamaru suddenly flipped him over. Kiba lifted his hips when the pillow from before was placed under them, and he looked up at the other man when Shikamaru positioned himself between his legs.

Shikamaru grabbed Kiba's legs and lifted them up, placing them on his shoulders. He leaned down and kissed Kiba briefly, smirking against his lips. "I want to watch you as you cum."

Kiba flushed and wrapped his arms around Shikamaru's neck, clinging to him as Shikamaru thrust back into him. Kiba felt his body protesting as he was practically bent in half, but he quickly found that Shikamaru could hit his prostate easier in this position so he stopped caring.

Shikamaru braced his hands on either side of Kiba's head and stared down at him, taking in the state of the other. Kiba's eyes were wild, his face flushed and his red, bruised lips were parted, the most _intoxicating_ sounds coming out of his mouth. The Nara surged forwards and crashed their lips together. The kiss was all teeth and tongue and panted out breaths and they both loved it; loved the absolutely carnal nature of everything they were doing.

Kiba keened into the kiss and moved his hands down to scratch along Shikamaru's back. The Nara hissed and started to thrust faster; the pain seeming to spur him on. Kiba pulled back from the kiss suddenly, throwing his head back and his back arching off the bed as his prostate was continually being thrust against.

Kiba dug his fingers into Shikamaru's shoulders, letting out constant pleas of _faster_ , and _harder_ , and _more_. The Inuzuka was continually thrusting himself down on Shikamaru's cock and he cried out when the Nara wrapped his hand around his cock again, pumping him teasingly. Kiba looked up at him, breath coming out shallowly. He was close, and Shikamaru's thrusts were becoming jerkier. He was close too.

Kiba moved his hands back up to tangle into Shikamaru's hair, tugging him down into another rough kiss. Kiba moaned into the others mouth and bucked into his hand. He pulled back when Shikamaru slammed against his prostate, a loud gasp coming out of his mouth. "S-Shika...god...!" He clung to Shikamaru tightly, writhing under him. It was barely a second more before he came, his entire body tightening up and stiffening at the feeling. His lips opened in a silent scream and he tugged at Shikamaru's hair. His vision went white as pleasure coursed through his entire body in a way he'd never felt before.

Kiba was still clinging to Shikamaru as the other continued to thrust into him, his own orgasm imminent. Kiba moaned loudly beside his ear. His body was over-sensitive and every nerve in his body felt like it was on _fire_.

"Shika...I love you..." Kiba was so lost in his own pleasure he didn't even realize what he had whispered beside Shikamaru's ear. The Nara had heard him though and he let out a deep growl at the confession. It took only a few more thrusts before Shikamaru was cumming; he was thrust in fully and he leaned down to kiss Kiba passionately as his orgasm rushed through him. The Inuzuka returned the kiss eagerly, panting into his mouth and running his fingers through the others' hair. Shikamaru pulled back slowly when he felt his orgasm die down, his chest heaving as he panted. He looked down at the other man, moving a hand up to cup his cheek.

"Kiba..." Said man looked up at Shikamaru, lips parted as he tried to catch his breath. Shikamaru stroked his cheek as he gingerly moved Kiba's legs off his shoulders. Kiba grimaced as his legs lowered to the bed. Fuck, he was going to be _sore_.

Kiba felt Shikamaru pull out and he cut himself off before he whimpered at the feeling, biting down on his lip and turning his head to the side when Shikamaru looked at him with amusement. The Nara moved his thumb up and swiped at the corner of Kiba's eye. "You're crying?" Kiba looked at him and reached a hand up the wipe at his eyes. He pulled them back and they were slightly wet; he had _barely_ cried. His cheeks flushed and he looked away again. The Nara chuckled. "I knew you loved it but... _damn_."

Kiba hit at his chest weakly and glared half-heartedly at the other man. "I'd hardly count a few tears as _c_ _rying_." He grumbled and rolled onto his side. Shikamaru watched and laid behind him, looking at all the marks he had made on the other man. He smirked to himself and trailed his finger along Kiba's spine. Kiba shuddered and looked at the other over his shoulder.

Shikamaru leaned in and kissed his forehead. "That was...wow." He looked down at the other, both their chests still heaving and breath coming out raggedly.

Kiba gave a slight nod, smiling. "Yeah...it was."

Shikamaru pulled the covers over both of them, hesitating for a moment before pulling Kiba in close to his chest. The Nara nuzzled his face into his neck and placed a soft kiss to it.

Kiba relaxed against him and closed his eyes, placing his hand over Shikamaru's and lacing their fingers together. He gave a soft squeeze, and smiled when Shikamaru squeezed back.

There was still some small, nagging thought in the back of Kiba's head but he couldn't for the life of him figure out what it was anymore. He was tired though and figured it was a problem for a more awake Kiba.

And boy, what a problem it _was_.

* * *

Kiba woke up with a gasp, his heart pounding the same way it had when he had woken up earlier. For a moment he was confused where he was; in his dream he was lying beside Shikamaru post-coitus, but now he was laying alone in bed in a cold sweat. It was disorienting but he heard Akamaru breathing on the floor beside his bed and he quickly came back to the reality that he was in his room. He blinked a few times and moved his hands up to rub over his eyes when he froze and ice cold fear rushed through his veins.

He had told Shikamaru he loved him. Through the haze of an orgasm, Kiba had uttered the words _I love you_ to Shikamaru.

Kiba sat bolt upright in his bed and clutched at his chest as he felt his heart lurch.

Oh. Oh Kiba was _so_ fucked.

Kiba closed his eyes and tried to calm down as he felt panic rising in his chest. He was trying to take slow, calming breaths but he kept repeating that same scene over and over in his mind. He was hoping beyond anything else that Shikamaru hadn't heard him but Kiba knew that he must have; he whispered it beside his ear as if it were a secret he had been waiting to tell him.

There was no doubt Shikamaru heard him, so Kiba was praying for the chance that he would maybe, _somehow_ , have forgotten.

The Inuzuka fell back against his bed and placed his forearm over his eyes. This had truly been one of the worst days of his life. Kiba couldn't remember a day where more things seemed to go wrong than this one. Not only was he physically in pain, but mentally he was anguished over just...everything, really. Now that he remembered everything that happened there was a crushing feeling of guilt laying in his heart.

Kiba barely stopped a sob from coming out of his mouth as hot, angry tears began to stream down his cheeks. He rolled onto his stomach and pressed his face into his pillow, letting all the feelings running through his mind come out through his tears. He felt guilty for having slept with a man who wasn't single, but he also felt so _angry_ that neither of them had stopped it. He hated himself for letting things go so far; the urge to stop had come over him more than once but he never gave into it because his pleasure was more important to him. Kiba had let himself get lost in the feeling of being with someone he _c_ _raved_ to the point it took him over and led him to doing something he would never have done otherwise.

Overall though...Kiba was sad, achingly so. He had been in love with Shikamaru for _years_ and now that he had him, had a taste of what they could possibly _be_ , a deep feeling of loneliness crept into his heart. A broken sob made its way out of Kiba's lips and he clamped his hands over his mouth. He curled in on himself and let himself be consumed by his sadness, hoping he would feel better if he cried things out.

There was a rustling by his bed and knew he had woken Akamaru up. Kiba wished that Akamaru would go back to sleep, but then he felt a pressure on his bed and a snout nudging at him. The dog let out a low whine and Kiba sniffled, wiping his eyes with his arm and sitting up. He took one look at Akamaru and wrapped his arms around him, burying his face in his fur. Kiba looked up when he heard his door open and rubbed his eyes when he saw Sasuke.

Sasuke stood there for a moment awkwardly before taking a step inside. "I heard noises and came to see if you were alright." He said simply.

Kiba stared at him in silence before he shook his head. "I'm not."

Sasuke hesitated for a moment before walking to Kiba's bed and sitting down on the edge of it. "Bad dream?"

Kiba laughed humourlessly and wiped his eyes again, feeling horrible when he felt more tears falls down his cheeks. "I _wish_ that's all it was." Kiba sniffled.

Sasuke was about to reach a hand out to place on Kiba's shoulder when the Inuzuka suddenly hugged him, burying his face in his neck. Sasuke froze there, his hands hovering in mid-air around Kiba. "I'm sorry..." He heard Kiba whisper before his body began shaking with sobs.

Sasuke frowned and moved his arms around him, rubbing his back. This was...different for Sasuke. The Uchiha wasn't exactly used to comforting people, but he had been on his own during situations like this and he knew the feeling of sobbing on your own could make bad times even _worse_. Besides...Sasuke knew Kiba wouldn't be seeking comfort from him unless he deeply needed it, so he shoved his awkwardness away and became, quite literally, a shoulder for the other to cry on.

They sat like that for a few minutes, Kiba sobbing while Sasuke did his best to console the other. Behind them Akamaru whined and nudged his head between them. Kiba pulled back and hiccuped on a few sobs. He reached a hand down and ran it over Akamaru's head. Akamaru laid his head on his owner's lap and nuzzled close when Sasuke stood and walked out of the room. Sasuke came back shortly after and held out a box of tissues to Kiba.

Kiba looked up at him as he took them. "Thanks..." His voice croaked out and he cleared his throat. He tugged a few out of the box and wiped his eyes and nose with them. Sasuke nodded and watched him.

"I made coffee. Want some?"

Kiba thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Sure." He balled up his tissues in his fist and stood, looking up at the Uchiha. "You're...much more sensitive than I thought you could be. Thanks for not leaving me alone." Kiba made the effort to smile, but it came out more like a grimace.

Sasuke stared at him, not really knowing what to say or do. He settled with a shrug. "Well...we're friends. I should try to make more of an effort."

Kiba gave a slow nod. "So...coffee?"

* * *

The two of them had made their way to the kitchen and were sitting at the table drinking coffee in silence when Kiba noticed an absence. "Why isn't Naruto up yet?"

Sasuke looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "It's not even 5AM." He held his phone out and showed it to Kiba, the time indeed showing that it was only 4:42 in the morning.

Kiba stared at the phone blankly before groaning and rubbing his forehead. "What the fuck..." He breathed out and took a long drink of his coffee. He looked at Sasuke over the rim of his cup as he lowered it. "Why are you up so early?"

Sasuke sighed. "I...received a call from my brother last night. I didn't sleep at all and got tired of trying." He said dryly and Kiba gave a soft nod. Kiba was never sure why, but Sasuke's brother was always a sore spot with the man. The two brothers rarely talked, and each time they did it seemed to put Sasuke on edge and he was in a bad mood for days afterwards. Even now, from just mentioning him, Kiba could tell Sasuke was tenser than before.

"Bad news?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Implying there's the possibility for him giving me good news?" He ran a hand through his hair and looked at the Inuzuka. "What about you? You look exhausted. Did you sleep at all?"

Kiba frowned and picked at a chip on his mug. "I did, but..." He bit his lip. "I remembered everything. Each time I fell asleep today a different chunk of what happened replayed in my head and this time it was everything. And I," Kiba drank some of his coffee to stop a lump from forming in this throat. "I fucking...I told him I _love_ him." He looked at Sasuke, his expression distraught. "Sasuke, I confessed to him."

Sasuke's brows knit together and he tapped his fingers on the table. "You...shit. Is that why you were so upset?" Kiba nodded and Sasuke sighed. "Christ..." The Uchiha muttered.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, both caught up in their own thoughts. Then, Kiba spoke. "What do you think I should do?"

Sasuke leaned back in his chair, trailing his finger around the rim of his cup. "That's...hard to answer. Shikamaru is difficult to deal with." Sasuke paused for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. "Since he's a genius, it's hard to really pinpoint what he's thinking. It's kind of like chess." At Kiba's confused look, Sasuke continued. "Master's of chess are so good at what they do because they can calculate moves sometimes 10 turns ahead; they go through all possible scenarios to make the best move they can. I think that's what Shikamaru tends to do."

Kiba frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"It's," Sasuke tapped the side of his mug. "It's like Shikamaru is always thinking 10 moves ahead of everyone. He'll run through all his options in his head and pick the one that will give him the least stress. Since this is life and not chess there's no real way to 'win', only different paths to take. Shikamaru doesn't like confrontation so he takes the path easiest for him."

Kiba stared down at the bottom of his mug. "Is...could that be why he asked me to leave? Because he'd already thought of all the other ways it could go wrong, and that was the simplest way to solve things in that moment?"

Sasuke nodded and crossed his arms. "It would make sense. For instance, he could have let you stay. But what could that have led to? In his mind you leaving was probably the quickest way out."

Kiba gave a small nod. "Yeah..."

Sasuke watched him. "Though, that's also why he'll never try to resolve this on his own. You're going to need to be the one to bring this up to him."

Kiba looked at him. "I...how am I supposed to bring it up though? Just go up to him and say, 'we had sex, now what'?"

"That...I don't think I can help you with that." Sasuke smiled sympathetically. "You two know best what happened between you, so you'll need to figure that out on your own."

Kiba groaned and dropped his head against the table. "Thanks..." He grumbled.

Sasuke regarded him with a slightly amused expression, but looked up when Naruto sleepily stumbled into the kitchen. The blond walked to Sasuke and sat on his lap, yawning and cuddling against him. "You should have told me you were getting up. I hate waking up alone."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Naru, babe, it's not even 5AM."

Naruto looked up at him blearily. He blinked a few times. "...what the fuck." He yawned again and stood up. "You're so weird, bastard. Who gets up so early?"

Sasuke poked Naruto's stomach, causing the other to yelp and squirm away. "I never slept, idiot." Sasuke shook his head and raised a hand when Naruto looked at him, concerned. "We'll talk about it later."

Naruto gave a sleepy nod and wrapped his arms around Kiba's shoulders from behind when he passed him. "Why are you up, pup?"

Kiba sighed and turned to look at him. "You need to ask?"

Naruto frowned when he saw Kiba's look. Even through his drowsiness, he saw Kiba's puffy eyes and tear tracks that remained on his cheeks. "Oh, Kiba..."

The Inuzuka patted Naruto's hands. "It's okay. We'll talk later, yeah?"

Naruto looked between Sasuke and Kiba. "I don't want to go back to sleep if you're both dealing with stuff..." He trailed off when Kiba ruffled his hair.

"We're fine, go back to bed."

Naruto looked between them again and sighed. "Fine. You coming, Sasu?" He looked at his boyfriend.

The raven nodded. "I will soon. Go."

Naruto pouted, but turned around and went back to his and Sasuke's room.

Kiba smiled slightly. "Hey, Sasuke?" The Uchiha grunted, and Kiba continued. "I'm glad you don't get jealous around us anymore. Like, with how affectionate we are and stuff."

"Hn. After Naruto made it clear to me he didn't think of you as anything other than a friend I realized I was being immature." Sasuke shrugged. "Besides, I've grown to know you both as being very physical with those you're close to. It's just how you two are wired."

Kiba gave a shallow nod. "Yeah..." He trailed off and let out a huff of air. "I wish I could go for a run."

Sasuke raised a brow at him. "You can't?"

"After what I did last night? No fucking way. I've never been this sore in my _life_." He sighed and rested his cheek on the table. "I didn't know Shikamaru had the energy in him to be the way he was." He mumbled.

Sasuke regarded him curiously and tapped his fingers against the table. "He was actively involved?" He asked.

Kiba frowned. "Yes. Do you think I took advantage of him?"

"I didn't mean it _that_ way. I mean...he was participating?"

Kiba's brows drew together in confusion. "Uh...yes? How could he not have? Was he just supposed to do nothing?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Not really, but," He stood and stretched his arms over his head. "You remember that girl he dated a few years ago, the one who was overly open about their relationship?"

Kiba looked at him and nodded. "Yeah, but what does she have to do with this?"

"Nothing, really. But do you remember when they got in a fight and she said it was good they were breaking up, because he was lazy in bed anyways?"

Kiba bit his lip. "He wasn't like that with me..." He murmured and looked at the Uchiha. "I remember him saying it was because he was drunk."

"Being drunk doesn't change people's actions _that_ much." Sasuke clapped a hand over his shoulder. "Deal with this carefully, Kiba. It's much bigger than just this one thing."

Sasuke left back to his room and Kiba dropped his head into his hands. His mind was _whirling_ with thoughts. He knew what Sasuke was implying but he didn't want to get himself lost in the possibility of it being true.

Could Shikamaru like him back? And if he did, just what the _fuck_ were they going to do?

And I reiterate, Kiba was fucked. Totally fucked.  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapters might come out a bit slower now as these last few chapters were all the scenes i was super psyched about writing, and the next ones are all going to be a bit more serious?? dealing more with the fallout from all this, plus shikas pov!!! i hope i can pull it off the way i want to :')
> 
> oh and how do yall feel about sasuke being so nice bc i personally LOVE it like yes...YES....be the good friend i know you can be babe!!! hes gonna thrive and i love that for him
> 
> (also pls tell me what thought of the sex scene bc i feel so 😳😳😳 over it)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yeehaw babes its shika pov time!!! this chap caused me a lil trouble bc i,,,dont have a Super good grasp on shika yet which sucks bc hes. half of the main couple in this fic im losing my mind. i tried my best tho and i hope its okay!!! also inos here,,,my girl whom i Love
> 
> (this takes place at the same time as chap 1 so its back in time a lil but thats ok)
> 
> enjoy~

It was nearly the crack of dawn when Shikamaru woke up, his head throbbing and body sore in a myriad of different ways. He blinked open his eyes and was confused when he saw brown hair. He trailed his eyes over the body laying in front of him and he cursed silently. He took in the tan skin, the tattooed cheeks, the muscles of the body and knew immediately who it was.

_Kiba_.

Shikamaru pulled himself back; his left arm was under Kiba's head and he drew it back slowly, being careful to not jostle the other. He stilled when the Inuzuka shifted in his sleep, but relaxed when Kiba was merely adjusting his sleeping position. Shikamaru withdrew his arm from the other's waist and rolled onto his back. He moved a hand up to rub over his forehead and let out a quiet sigh.

There was no denying what they had done, Shikamaru knew that immediately. Even if Kiba woke up with no memory from the prior night he would be able to put things together quickly. Everything around them screamed 'we had sex!', from the clothes strewn about everywhere to the marks on their bodies. There was also an uncomfortable _stickiness_ on his body that would no doubt be on Kiba’s as well. They should have cleaned up. Gross.

Shikamaru stared up at the ceiling, his mind reeling as memories from the night before played through his head. All the roaming hands, the uncountable amount of kisses, and the _passion_...Shikamaru remembered it all, remembered how much both he and Kiba loved it. He had felt a fire last night like no other and it made his mark on him.

Though there was something he wished he could forget; Kiba saying he loved him. Now, Shikamaru was no idiot; he had always sensed some kind of _something_ from Kiba. There was a nearly imperceptible air of awkwardness surrounding Kiba whenever Shikamaru was around that he didn't seem to have around their other friends. It wasn't entirely noticeable; it was more the little things. The way Kiba seemed to never be able to fully look at Shikamaru, or the way he seemed to be jumpier if it were just the two of him. Initially when Shikamaru noticed Kiba's demeanour around him he thought maybe the Inuzuka didn't like him, but as time went on the actions were more indicative of a crush than of ill-feelings. Shikamaru had done his best to not acknowledge the other man's feelings and had effectively shoved the thoughts he had down but there was no way for him to deny they existed. Not after what they'd done; not after Kiba's confession.

Shikamaru scrubbed his hands over his face. He desperately wanted to get out of bed and shower or do _something_ to get his mind off of what happened but he knew that would most likely lead to Kiba getting up and Shikamaru needed to have a plan of attack before that happened. He needed to figure out what to do, and he needed to figure it out _now_. Kiba was impulsive so Shikamaru knew he needed to take a more cautious approach to things; he had seen more than once how Kiba reacted in situations where he was cornered. The man would lash out and sometimes get violent, which Shikamaru didn't want. Though, he also had to take Kiba's state into this. He would most likely be hungover and probably sore so he might be less eager to get in a fight.

The Nara sighed and looked at his window. Dawn was just breaking now and he could tell the sun was rising through his curtains. He wasn't sure how long Kiba would sleep and Shikamaru felt there was a countdown he was fighting against before things would blow up. He closed his eyes as thoughts raced through his head, feeling like hundreds of scenarios were playing out simultaneously as he ran through all the possible ways things could go when Kiba woke up. In an ideal world, the Inuzuka would wake up, not want to talk about things and would just leave. But that would only happen in a perfect world so Shikamaru wasn't holding onto hope that it would happen.

Most scenarios running through Shikamaru's head were similar, entailing some sort of argument full of vitriol that would only leave a bitter taste in Shikamaru's mouth that he didn't care to deal with. Shikamaru was imagining the dozens of ways this could go wrong, picturing all the things that could be said. He didn't want to deal with any of it.

Shikamaru sighed. This was so troublesome.

* * *

It was a few more hours before Kiba would wake up. Shikamaru spent those hours drifting in and out of sleep, most of the time his mind was filled with memories of the night before but occasionally he'd fall asleep for a few minutes. Though his mind would quickly come back to a memory, so it wasn't really very pleasant. Though Shikamaru was glad to have been awake before Kiba as it gave him time to not only (slightly) get over his hangover but to also know what he was going to do. Was the decision he made the smartest one? Perhaps not, but it would lead him down the path of least resistance. Even if this made him the bad guy he knew it wouldn't leave much room for things to go too wrong; he figured Kiba would be too upset at him to do anything other than leave.

Shikamaru felt like a complete jerk, but he wouldn't have been in this mess had he been smarter the night before. He made his bed now he had to lie in it, even if it were a bed of nails.

He heard Kiba stirring beside him and he quickly closed his eyes, doing his best to feign sleep. Shikamaru could tell the other was awake when he heard his breathing change; there was a hitch in it and he figured the Inuzuka must have noticed their states. Shikamaru opened his eyes and looked at his ceiling, steeling his resolve. He took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

"I know you're awake." There, he had done it; acknowledged that he was aware of the others presence in his bed. Now to play out the rest of his plan.

"Um...morning?"

Shikamaru sat up and rubbed his temples, his head dully throbbing. The headache he woke up with had mostly subsided but there was still a light ache. "You should leave." Shikamaru ran a hand through his hair and looked at Kiba, watching as the other frowned. Shikamaru had felt like an ass saying that but...in his mind, it was the best option.

"Shouldn't we talk about why we're like...this?" Shikamaru watched as the other sat up and he saw Kiba grimace. Shikamaru felt a twinge of guilt as he thought the other must have been sore. He was partially right, but that's neither here nor there.

Shikamaru sighed. Time to be the bad guy. "Troublesome. No, I don't want to talk about it. I remember enough about what happened, Kiba. Please don't tell me you want to relive it." He looked at Kiba, eyes narrowed and hoping he looked angry enough that the other would just want to leave.

Shikamaru watched as the Inuzuka looked away and bit at his lip, a habit Shikamaru observed he did when he was nervous. Guilt was steadily growing in Shikamaru's heart.

"It's not that I want to relive it, but are we just going to pretend it didn't happen...?" Shikamaru swore he heard sadness in Kiba's voice and he cursed himself.

Shikamaru didn't know what to say, so he simply shrugged.

"So...you just want me to leave without talking about anything? We had sex, Shika."

Shikamaru frowned upon hearing Kiba just say it outright. He was well aware of what they had done, but hearing it out loud didn't make him feel good at all. It made it more real; cementing their actions with words.

He heard the other get up and looked up to watch him. "Whatever, man." Shikamaru watched as the other bent over to fumble around for his clothes, hearing him curse as he fell back on the bed. Shikamaru noticed all the marks on Kiba's back, behind, and thighs. He had made all those? Damn. They looked painful.

"Are you alright?" The words had left Shikamaru's mouth on instinct before he even had a second to think things over. His concern had bubbled to the surface before he had time to hide it. He had to push it down and pretend it didn't matter.

"I got the impression you didn't want to talk about this, so just pretend I'm fine."

Shikamaru was...pleased in all the wrong ways with Kiba's answer. He seemed stand-offish and that's what Shikamaru wanted. God, that was so fucked to think about, but it made things easier for Shikamaru. He just needed to go on pretending to be indifferent.

He sighed, and shrugged his shoulders. "If you want to be like that, then fine." Shikamaru was making himself sick.

He looked up when he felt Kiba crawling onto his bed and he saw the scowl on his face; evidently, the other was pissed. But underneath it, Shikamaru could see a sadness there. He shoved the thought down.

"Be like what, dude? You told me to leave, so I'm leaving." Shikamaru drew in a breath when Kiba leaned in and gripped his chin. For a moment he thought the other would kiss him. He refused to acknowledge how that thought made his heart skip a beat.

" _You're_ the one being an ass, after _you_ fucked _me_ last night." Shikamaru noticed the way Kiba looked down at his lips before pulling away from him. Shikamaru nearly closed the distance between them and kissed Kiba.

They stared at each other until Kiba's phone buzzed and he pulled it out of his pocket. Shikamaru watched as Kiba looked at the screen. The Nara knew he must have had a lot of messages; he had heard his phone going off multiple times that morning. Shikamaru let out a breath silently when Kiba made to leave his room, and he heard the quiet 'bye' the other had said as he left.

Shikamaru flopped back onto his bed once he heard his apartment door close, and he let out a groan.

He had accomplished his plan, but at what cost?

* * *

It was nearing noon now, and Shikamaru was waiting for Ino to come to his apartment. Shortly after Kiba left, he got up to get his phone to immediately text the blonde to come over. The woman had called him to ask him, and this is a quote, 'why the fuck she needed to see him so early on a Saturday when she was ready to puke her guts out?'. Shikamaru merely sighed out a 'troublesome' before hanging up and going to take a shower. He had hung up but he could still hear Ino screaming at him over the phone. That had happened a little over 30 minutes before and now Shikamaru was nervously awaiting her arrival.

It was another few minutes before Shikamaru heard a knock at his door. He got up and, upon opening the door, was hit with Ino's fist.

"What kind of _asshole_ calls someone to their house and hangs up without telling them why?!" Shikamaru grunted and rubbed his arm where Ino hit him. She had a strong punch.

"Good afternoon, Ino."

Ino simply huffed and marched into his apartment, kicking off her shoes and moving to sit on his couch. She lounged back on it, flipping her hair over her shoulder and looking at Shikamaru when he sat beside her. "Well? Why am I here so early?"

Shikamaru sighed. "It's almost noon, Ino. That's not early."

Ino narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms. "On a Saturday when I'm hungover? It sure as fuck is."

Shikamaru sighed again and shook his head, laying his head back against his couch. He rubbed his forehead, muttering out a 'troublesome'. He could tell the blonde was annoyed with him and he couldn't exactly blame her, but surely she knew he wouldn't be calling her over unless it was something serious, right?

"Look...something happened last night and you can't tell anyone. Not even Chouji."

Beside him, Ino frowned. Something she couldn't tell Chouji, one of Shikamaru's closest friends? Hm. Ino turned to the side and brought her legs up so she was sitting cross-legged, her full attention on Shikamaru. "Lay it on me, Shika."

Shikamaru didn't even look at her, he simply held out his pinky. Ino rolled her eyes and wrapped her pinky around Shikamaru's. "What are we, five?" Shikamaru shot her an annoyed look.

"I'm serious Ino. You can't tell _anyone_."

Ino waved him off dismissively. "I know, I know. Don't worry about me, I won't tell a soul." She held her hand over her heart. "Now tell me why I needed to come here so damn early." She stared at Shikamaru, incredibly interested in what could have happened. Shikamaru didn't usually get into trouble so this was something she didn't get to experience too often.

Shikamaru opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, then spoke. "I cheated on Temari. With Kiba." Shikamaru felt sick with himself the second the words left his mouth. They left a burn like acid on his tongue.

Beside him Ino was staring at him, mouth agape. "Shi...you...what?!" Her voice was shrill and Shikamaru covered his ears.

"Be quiet, would you?" Shikamaru groaned and rubbed his temples.

"But you...with _Kiba_?" Ino reached out and wrapped her hands around Shikamaru's wrist. "And when you say cheated...you mean...?" She let her answer hang between them, both anticipating and dreading the answer.

Shikamaru took a deep breath and looked at her. "I fucked him, Ino."

Ino let out a breath and stared at him in shock. "Shikamaru...how did that even _h_ _appen_? Were you seriously that drunk?"

Shikamaru grunted. "Evidently, I was."

Ino gave a soft nod and let go of Shikamaru's wrist, not entirely believing him but he didn't need to know that.

"So...where's Kiba? Did he jump ship before you woke up?"

"No, I uh," Shikamaru paused. "I asked him to leave." He immediately sensed Ino's annoyance at that, and brought his arm up to block her hit before she got to him.

Ino ended up smacking Shikamaru's forearm. "Shikamaru!" The blonde frowned and stared at her friend. "Do you know _how_ insulting something like that is? You're basically saying, 'thanks for the ass, but you can go now'."

The Nara sighed beside her. "What else was I _supposed_ to do? Make him breakfast and move on like nothing happened?" He looked at her.

"No, but you could have talked about things."

Shikamaru shook his head. "That would have only opened up the possibility for an argument. I didn't want that."

Ino sighed. "Shikamaru...you don't know for sure it would have done that." Ino knew very well about Shikamaru's penchant for overthinking things. She had never fully wrapped her head around _why_ he did that because he quite often over complicated things in his head which led him to having more stress than he needed, but she figured that was his plight of being a genius. Having more resources of thinking than most did...Ino surmised his head raced through scenarios faster than most could.

Shikamaru shook his head and stood up. "I have a pretty good idea, Ino." He stretched his arms above his head, his shirt riding up enough for Ino to see the ends of scratch marks on his back.

"Oh, no _way_." Ino reached out and tugged the hem of Shikamaru's shirt up, paying no mind to Shikamaru's objections. Ino let out a low whistle at the amount of marks she saw. "Shikamaru...have you _seen_ your back?" Ino quickly pulled out her phone and took a picture of her friends back. "Look." She held her phone out and watched as Shikamaru looked at it. His eyes widened fractionally and he groaned.

"No wonder showering hurt so much..." He grumbled and sat back down on the couch.

Ino looked at him, slightly amused despite the situation. "So...how was it?"

Shikamaru shot her an annoyed look. "Shut it, Ino." He ground out.

Ino smirked and sat back next to him. "Oh, come on. Tell me." She poked at his arm. "Tell me, tell me, tell me~"

Shikamaru swatted her hand away and regarded her with irritation. "Fine!" He huffed out and crossed his arms. "It...it was fantastic. I've never had an experience like it." At Ino's snickering he shoved her shoulder. "I'm glad you can find amusement in this." He said dryly.

Ino smiled and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but...can you blame me? This is _unbelievable_ , you know."

"That's not even all of it..." Shikamaru mumbled and ran his hands over his face.

Ino leaned into him, looking far too interested in what else could have happened. "It's not?" At Shikamaru's shake of his head, Ino perked up. "I need to know _e_ _verything_. If you want my help, and you're going to need it, I need _all_ the deets. So come on, spill." Ino had tucked her legs under herself and was staring at Shikamaru, eyes eager.

Shikamaru took one glance at her and knew he had made a mistake in calling her over. "It's..." He let out a sigh. "He said he loves me."

"...you're _k_ _idding_ me."

Shikamaru wished he was. He sincerely wished he was kidding.

"I'm not, Ino." He frowned. "Do you see now why I just wanted him to go?"

Ino stared at him, suddenly feeling very sad for Kiba. "I do, but...that makes it worse, you know that right?"

Shikamaru nodded tersely. "I know, don't remind me. I know it was shitty but what could I do?" Shikamaru began picking at his nails absentmindedly. "It's not like I can _be_ with him or something. With any luck this will make him hate and I won't have to think about this again."

Ino reached out and grabbed his hands. "Shikamaru...you know that's not likely to happen." She looked at him sympathetically. "This is _Kiba_. You know how deeply he can love things." Ino was right, Shikamaru knew it. He knew it and he hated it. Shikamaru simply shrugged.

Ino sighed softly. "What are you going to do now? What's your plan?" She held up her hand to stop him when he opened his mouth. "Don't you _dare_ say you're going to ignore it."

Shikamaru closed his mouth and looked away.

Ino narrowed her eyes. "Shikamaru, no. That's a cowards way out and you know it. It's also not fair to Kiba, or Temari. Or you, really."

Shikamaru grimaced at his girlfriend's name and stood up. He walked to his kitchen, Ino following behind him. "You can’t just run away from it." She frowned and grabbed his shoulder, turning him around. "You need to be a grown-up and deal with this."

Shikamaru looked down at her. "Maybe my way of dealing with it is by not dealing with it. Temari doesn't need to know, and Kiba," Shikamaru shrugged. "I can tell him it meant nothing and be done with it."

Ino gaped at him. "Shikamaru you can _not_ seriously be thinking of doing that!" Ino pointed an accusatory finger at him. "Shikamaru Nara I swear to GOD if you tell a man who is in love with you that having sex with him meant _n_ _othing_ to you I'll beat your ass."

Shikamaru pushed her finger away. "Why do you even _care_? You're not close to Kiba or anything. Besides, it wouldn't be a lie." It was a lie, Shikamaru knew it.

Ino crossed her arms. "Why does it matter if I'm close to him or not? I can't not want someone to get hurt if they're not my best friend?" She bit the inside of her cheek and looked away as Shikamaru went to his fridge. "Look, if...if this has anything to do with your liking men-" Ino startled and looked up when Shikamaru slammed his fridge, the contents inside clattering. She saw his shoulders stiffen, his hand clenching around the handle until his knuckles were white.

"I'm not gay, Ino." Shikamaru grit out, venom is his voice though Ino could also hear the slight shakiness in his tone.

She sighed and walked to him cautiously. This wasn't the first time they had talked about this. Ino began having suspicions her friend wasn't all the way straight as he portrayed himself to be when they were in high school. Back then it had been tied more to her own feelings of attraction to Shikamaru and wondering just _why_ he didn't feel the same for her. She had liked him and she felt that he liked her too and when nothing came from it she got frustrated. She confronted him one day; it culminated in an argument which led to a screaming match, during which Ino asked if he was 'gay or something'. Shikamaru had floundered at that, not having anything to say before he just grabbed Ino and _kissed_ her. Ino knew immediately that it wasn't an _I_ _like you_ kiss, but more and an _oh my god please just shut UP_ kiss.

They never spoke of what happened; merely moved on with their lives and Ino's feelings for Shikamaru petered out. That day though Ino's thoughts on Shikamaru liking men were cemented.

The blonde reached out and placed it on Shikamaru's back tentatively, feeling as though sudden movement would scare the other. "I didn't say you were, Shikamaru." She stated quietly, her voice soft. "I just think you might, possibly, like men." She started rubbing her hand over Shikamaru's back, feeling as he tensed up.

Shikamaru shrugged her off, and she dropped her hand. "I'm not gay," He repeated. "And I don't like men."

Ino watched him. She could tell he was starting to draw into himself the way he did when he was confronted with something he didn't want to deal with.

"You slept with Kiba. A _man_."

Shikamaru's hands balled into fists at his sides. "I was _drunk_. It wouldn't have happened otherwise."

"Shikamaru...we both know alcohol can only do so much in influencing your actions. If you didn't already have the underlying want to have sex with him, all the alcohol in the world couldn't make you do it." Ino froze when Shikamaru turned around, regarding her coldly.

"Asking you to come over was a mistake. Leave."

Ino crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at the man in front of her. She clicked her tongue. "I will, but only because I need to get to my job." She walked to Shikamaru's front door, the man following her. "You can't run from this, Shikamaru. Be an adult about things." She hesitated for a moment before turning around and wrapping Shikamaru in a tight hug. "I know you'll do the right thing." She pulled back and patted Shikamaru's cheek a couple times. "You're smart enough to know how things could end up."

Shikamaru went to say something when Ino pulled off and left quickly, not allowing him to get a word in before she did so. As his door shut he moved back into his living room, slumping down onto his couch.

He _was_ smart enough to know how things could end up; it's why he didn't want to deal with it at all. He saw the dozens of different ways things could play out and not one of them seemed to be ideal. The Nara pulled a pillow over his face, groaning into it.

Shikamaru was a genius but _god_ if he didn't act like an idiot sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so there it is,,,im not sure if im entirely happy with it but i was going to pull my hair out stressing over shika :') that man is too damn complex for my brain!!! also got a lil insight into why hes acting the way he is...it's not a fun time
> 
> next chap is gonna be a lil bit of filler between sasu + naru!!! its not super important to shika + kibas story but its cute and made me so happy when i wrote it,,,my favourite boys who i love with all my heart
> 
> kudos and comments are always so appreciated 💖💖💖


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i first spelled itachis name as itchy and didnt notice until i read through this thing like 3 times...amazing
> 
> and ive come to the realization my pov switches between the characters in this lmaaaaaao. unless thats actually a pov??? idk yall ive never been taught how to write :') (ill get better tho <3)
> 
> (tw: slight slight mention of self-harm here near the end)
> 
> enjoy~!!!

When Sasuke reached his bedroom, he saw Naruto had already fallen back asleep and he let a soft smile grace his lips at the sight. The blonde was splayed out on the bed, more on Sasuke's side than his own. Sasuke closed his door behind him and walked to the bed. The Uchiha lifted the covers and got into bed carefully, not wanting to disturb the other too much. It didn't matter though as Naruto immediately suspected his presence. As soon as he sat down Naruto let out a contented sound, his arm flopping over Sasuke's waist. Sasuke let out a quiet chuckle and traced Naruto's cheek.

The blond stirred and looked up at him. "Sasu..." He smiled sleepily and cuddled against his boyfriend. "Finally. I was getting cold." Sasuke rolled his eyes and pinched Naruto's cheek lightly, causing the other to whine. "Bastard!" Naruto huffed, then nuzzled his cheek against Sasuke's hip and gave it a soft kiss.

"I'm here now, so go back to sleep."

Naruto gave a soft hum of contentment. "Aren't you going to sleep too? Cuddle with me~"

Sasuke rubbed the back of Naruto's neck, his touch light. "I'm not tired."

Naruto turned his head, looking at the other male with slight concern. "But it's so early..." He trailed off and closed his eyes when Sasuke's hand moved to his cheek, thumb stroking over his skin.

"It's fine. We'll talk when you wake up, okay?"

Naruto let out an annoyed puff of air but nodded anyways. "Fine...but as soon as I wake up we're talking. No buts."

Sasuke rolled his eyes and grabbed his phone and glasses off his bedside table. "Yeah, yeah. Just-" He cut himself off when he already heard Naruto snoring. He looked down at the other fondly. "Idiot..." He whispered and slipped his glasses on.

Sasuke grabbed his phone and unlocked it, sighing quietly. He noticed that he had received an email from his older brother, Itachi. Sasuke had recently been contacted by his brother; one of their occasional points of contact that Itachi could easily pass off as wanting to check in on his brother, but Sasuke knew better. These check-ins were little more than a way for Itachi to keep tabs on his younger brother. Sasuke hated the obligatory nature of it.

Sasuke had made the decision to move out on his own at sixteen. His family had been...well, displeased, to say the least. He had managed to convince them (really only his mother, he had never been able to get anything over on his father) that it was in an effort of independence rather than what it truly was; him needing to escape the smothering nature of his overbearing father. He had bought himself a small apartment and for the first time in his life felt _free_. It wasn't just the feeling of being on his own, it was the fact that he felt like he had agency over himself; could do things at his own pace, on his own schedule.

He wished that peace would have lasted longer, but it was a little longer than a week before Sasuke entered his apartment only to find Itachi in it. His brother was looking at the place with little more than thinly veiled distaste. It certainly wasn't...the _nicest_ place but it was a place to sleep, which was good enough for Sasuke.

Itachi had only come for a brief visit and with it he brought big news. He and Sasuke's parents were moving back to Japan. Apparently they had a plan in place to move when Sasuke graduated but as he had moved out, they could move sooner. The news filled Sasuke with an overwhelming sense of _bitterness_.

His whole life he had always felt something like a shadow, particularly to Itachi. Sasuke knew his brother excelled in nearly everything and, while Sasuke was no slouch, he'd never be able to reach his brother's ability in almost anything, really. If Sasuke achieved something, Itachi had already reached 3 levels higher when he had been Sasuke's age. It pissed off Sasuke to no end.

It hadn't always been that way, though. When Sasuke was a child he absolutely _idolized_ his brother. Sasuke wanted to do everything Itachi did and strove to be just like him, and Itachi was his biggest support. But then Itachi grew older, got more stress pushed on him from being the eldest child in his family, and he and Sasuke grew apart. It happens to most siblings, not really out of the ordinary. But for someone like Sasuke, someone who didn't have many friends and only really socialized with his family...it was devastating. All of a sudden the brother he had grown up loving, grown up wanting to impress more than anyone else, seemed to be too busy to be around him anymore. It hurt, and Sasuke had carried around that hurt the rest of his young life.

So when Itachi arrived at his apartment only to say that he and their parents were moving to _Japan_ , without even a _mention_ of it to him, Sasuke decided then and there that he no longer wanted anything to do with his family.

Blood ties be damned.

Things had been that way since. He had limited contact with his family aside from these occasional check-ins from Itachi. There were times he felt bad, felt regret and guilt creep into his heart, but then something would come up that would stamp those feelings down.

But this time...there was something _different_.

Itachi had contacted him this time with much of the same; how he was doing in school, if he had found a good girl to date yet (his family was _v_ _ery_ unaware about his sexuality and even less aware about his relationship with Naruto), if he was healthy...pretty standard questions. But at the end of the message Itachi said that their father, Fugaku, wanted to see Sasuke. Just the thought of that caused a feeling of trepidation to creep into his heart. It had been just over 3 years since he last saw his father at his high school graduation, and Sasuke had no idea why he could possibly want to see him.

Then Sasuke opened the email from his brother and it became clear. Attached to the email were pictures and descriptions of 3 women. Apparently Fugaku was displeased about his youngest son not yet having a wife - despite Itachi _also_ not being married, but obviously that didn't matter since he was the perfect son in every other way - and had decided to take it into his own hands. Anger grew in Sasuke's body as he read the contents of the email. Not only was Fugaku trying to push women in Sasuke's life he wanted him to fly to Japan to meet them.

He wanted his youngest son, whom he hadn't seen or spoken to in YEARS, to fly across the fucking _globe_ to meet women to potentially be married off to because HE wasn't satisfied that his son hadn't yet produced any children.

Fuck _that_.

Sasuke began writing an angry reply to his brother, filling it with as much malice as he could. After sending it he decided to scroll through the information of the women, wondering just _who_ his father thought would be good for him. They were attractive women coming from well off families who all had degrees from top universities. Other than that, there was absolutely nothing about them. All Sasuke got was a name, a picture, and a vague description of their accomplishments. After all that was all that seemed to matter to his father; for him to marry someone at a level of success he thought was appropriate and pretty enough to make attractive children. How positively shallow of it all.

He snorted and placed his phone on his bedside table. His father was truly so clueless about him and his life that it was almost funny.

Sasuke looked down at the blond man hugging his hip and he let a small smile grace his lips. Sasuke didn't care what anyone thought; he was going to marry this man even if it cost him his father's approval. He didn't need his fathers' acceptance.

He didn't.

At least that's what he told himself when he didn't get it.

* * *

Sasuke spent the next few hours reading, though he figured he should probably stop because he'd read the same paragraph four times and had retained absolutely _no_ information from it. He hated that hearing from his brother still caused him to become so frazzled. He looked up when Naruto sat up, his eyes bleary and hair a mess.

The blond got up and made his way to their conjoined bathroom, coming back a few minutes later and settling himself into Sasuke's lap. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's book from him and leaned in to give his boyfriend a kiss. He tasted like mint; mouthwash, Sasuke presumed.

He chuckled as Naruto looked at his book, a confused expression on his face.

"You're reading a book in Latin?"

Sasuke shrugged and snaked his arms around the others waist. "Why not?"

Naruto set the book down, making sure to bookmark it with the ribbon attached to the book's spine, and gave a soft hum. "You're such a _nerd_ , bastard."

Sasuke pinched the skin of the other's hip, laughing when the blond yelped. "I like learning things. You should try it sometime."

Naruto scrunched his nose up, feigning disgust. "I'll pass."

"Your classes? Not likely."

Naruto pouted, leaning into Sasuke when he kissed him again. "Shut up." The blond moved his hands up to play with the Uchiha's bangs, running his fingers through them. "You're sexy with glasses on."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow at him. "I'm sexy _all_ the time, I'll have you know."

Naruto let out a quiet laugh and tugged on Sasuke's bangs lightly. "True...but more so like this. There's just something about it. Makes me want to do bad things to you."

Sasuke let out a soft hum and rubbed his thumbs in slow circles on Naruto's hips. "Is that so? Enlighten me."

Naruto purred and grinned widely. "Mm, you know..." He leaned in close, nuzzling Sasuke's neck. He gave it a soft peck. "I think it would be sexy to fuck your face then cum on them." He said nonchalantly, as if it he didn't just say something absolutely _raunchy_. "Or maybe take you from behind, seeing if I could fuck you so hard they fall off." Naruto glanced up at him. "What do you think?"

Sasuke moved a hand up, snaking it into Naruto's hair. "I think you're _f_ _ilthy_." Naruto grinned as Sasuke pulled him into a heated kiss, rocking against him teasingly. The parted briefly, Sasuke looking at the blond over the top of his glasses. "You could do that now to me, if you wanted."

Naruto hummed, lacing his fingers together behind Sasuke's neck. "Hm...it's tempting, but no. You're going to tell me what's wrong first." He looked at his boyfriend with a steady look, easily seeing through his tactics.

Sasuke looked at his boyfriend for a moment before sighing. "You're not as easy to get as before." Naruto nodded, a pleased look on his face.

"I've learned how to deal with you over the years. Now, out with it."

Sasuke sighed again, his expression souring. Naruto reached a hand up to gently rub at his forehead where his brows had creased but Sasuke quickly slapped his hand away. Naruto looked at him, slightly taken aback but his gaze softened when he saw that Sasuke looked immediately guilty.

"Naruto, I'm sorry...that just reminded me of what Itachi used to do and I-"

Naruto leaned in and cut him off with a chaste kiss. "It's okay." He gave a soft smile. "So...you're upset because of him?" Naruto knew if things were about Itachi he might need to tread carefully; he was aware of the brothers strained relationship and didn't want to upset his boyfriend any more than he would already be.

Sasuke pursed his lips and nodded. "Yeah..." He grabbed his phone and handed it to the blond. "He emailed me."

Naruto took the phone and unlocked it, going to Sasuke's email and finding the thread he had with Itachi. The blond couldn't read much as it was all in Japanese but he did pick out a few kanji he recognized, though he didn't glean anything from the few characters he knew. Then he got to the pictures of the women and he paused. "These women are all so pretty...who are they?" He looked at his boyfriend. "Models?" He tilted his head to the side.

Sasuke shook his head and frowned. "No. Well actually they might be, I don't know. They're..." He sighed and tilted his head back against the headboard of their bed. "They're potential wives for me."

Naruto nodded understandingly at that, then actually processed what Sasuke said. "Huh?!" He looked back at the email, then at his boyfriend. "Seriously?" At Sasuke's nod, he frowned. "They're trying to marry you off..." He mumbled and turned off Sasuke's phone. "You're not even 22 yet."

Sasuke grunted. "Yeah, well, Itachi's not married yet so that responsibility seems to have fallen on my shoulders."

Naruto stared at his boyfriend then bit at his lip nervously. "...what did you say?"

Sasuke looked at the blond and tightened his grip on his hips. "I told Itachi to tell our father that if he thinks I'm going to go to Japan to meet some women to most likely marry one of them that he's absolutely batshit _insane_." He huffed out, expression more than miffed.

Naruto nodded softly, still worrying his lip between his teeth. Sasuke leaned up and pecked his lips. "Stop, you'll bleed..." He murmured.

Naruto leaned into him, pecking his lips back. "Sorry..." He sighed and rested their foreheads together. "That's so fucked."

The Uchiha nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Father never seemed to care much for my feelings though, so it's fine. I'm used to it."

"You shouldn't have to be used to it. He needs to treat you better."

"Naru-"

"No." Naruto sat up then, placing his hands on Sasuke's shoulders. "He's your father and he treats you like _trash_ , Sasuke. It's like he doesn't even care that you're his son! When was the last time he even saw you? Our graduation?" Naruto scoffed. "He's such a _dick_!" The blond fell against Sasuke, pouting and burying his face in his neck. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said that..."

Sasuke smiled wryly and shook his head. "It's fine, you're not wrong." He moved a hand up to rub Naruto's back. "It doesn't matter though. I'm gay, with you, and never _ever_ going to marry a woman. I don't care if he doesn't like it. I don't need his acceptance."

Naruto turned his head and looked at him. "You don't need it...but you want it." He frowned when Sasuke looked away. "Hey..." He said gently and sat up again. "It's okay to want his acceptance, he's your dad." He cupped Sasuke's cheeks, rubbing over them with a feather-light touch.

"I don't want it..." Sasuke grumbled and hid his face in Naruto's neck. It was a pathetic attempt at a lie, they both knew it.

Naruto tilted Sasuke's head back up and stroked his cheeks with his thumbs. "It's okay..."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before closing his eyes and dropping his head against his shoulder. "Why doesn't he care about me...?" It was said so quietly, full of such _sadness_ that Naruto felt tears well up in his eyes.

"Because he's never taken the time to look at you. If he did he'd see that you're the best son someone could ever ask for." Naruto's voice caught on the last word and Sasuke looked up at him, frowning when he saw the blond was crying.

"Idiot..." He muttered out fondly and kissed his forehead. "Why are you crying?"

Naruto sniffled and reached his hands up to wipe his eyes. "Because this isn't _fair_ to you! Some parents would do _anything_ to have a son like you and you're not appreciated the way you should be!"

Sasuke grabbed Naruto's hands in his and squeezed them gently. "You don't need to cry for me, Naruto." He looked up at the blond and gave a gentle smile.

Naruto hiccuped and stared back at him. "Bastard...I do need to because you don't cry for yourself."

Sasuke kissed his hands and shook his head. "Please...I hate seeing you cry."

Naruto sniffled, poking Sasuke's cheek. "I can't just turn it off, jerk."

Sasuke chuckled and leaned up. "I know how to make you stop." He went to kiss him when Naruto pulled back. Sasuke shot him a questioning look.

Naruto reached up and took his glasses off. "They're sexy, but get in the way."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "Stupid..." He whispered before claiming Naruto's lips in a kiss.

Naruto dropped Sasuke's glasses onto the bed and fisted his tanned hands in the others' hair, holding him close. He gave a soft hum of contentment then shivered when Sasuke slid his hands under his shirt. Sasuke chuckled against his lips and flipped them over, hovering over the blond. They stayed like that for a moment, sharing gentle kisses between each other when Naruto suddenly felt something wet against his cheek and he pulled back, letting out a soft gasp when he noticed Sasuke was crying.

"Sasuke..." He whispered, wrapping his arms around the Uchiha and holding him close to his chest.

Sasuke buried his face in Naruto's shoulder. "Dammit..." He sounded frustrated and Naruto kissed the top of his head. Crying was...not usual for Sasuke to do. Over the years of him and Naruto being together, the Uchiha had definitely changed emotionally. He had become more understanding and sympathetic, not only of other people but also of _himself_ , but he was still hesitant to cry. It's like there was some sort of block preventing himself from doing it. Naruto had seen him sad enough to cry on more than one occasion, but the tears just never seemed to flow for him. He would turn more despondent, retreat back into himself, but he would rarely cry.

It seemed only at times like this, times where he let himself stop _thinking_ about his feelings and just let himself actually _feel_ them that he let himself cry. He needed a safe space and Naruto was so glad he could be that for the other.

Sasuke was his safe space too.

Naruto ran his arms up and down his boyfriend's back slowly, saying nothing and just letting him cry.

"When we have kids I'm going to be the best damn father I can be..." Sasuke whispered into his boyfriend's neck, his voice sounding gravelly. "I'm going to tell them I love them _every day_ and there will never be a question that I'm proud of them."

Naruto's breath caught in his throat at that. _Whe_ _n we have kids_. It was said so casually, just rolled off Sasuke's tongue in such an easy way, and it was the sweetest thing Naruto had ever heard. The blond smiled and tilted Sasuke's face up to him. "I know." He said it softly and wiped away his tears, watching as the Uchiha tilted his head and kissed his wrist. Naruto noticed as he took care over the scars that were present there and he felt his heart flutter at the tender action.

Sasuke placed a hand on Naruto's and squeezed it, taking a deep, shaky breath as he did so. He looked at him; his eyes still wet with tears and a few clinging to his lashes. Even like this, he was still beautiful. It was unfair.

Naruto leaned up, rubbing their noses together. Sasuke looked at him and moved Naruto's hand off of his cheek, turning it around in his hand and lacing their fingers together. "I love you."

Naruto squeezed his hand. "I love you too." He smiled and watched as his lover brought his free hand up to wipe over his eyes.

"I hate crying. What the fuck."

Naruto let out a soft, airy laugh. "It feels nice though, doesn't it? Although," He pouted and nuzzled Sasuke's shoulder. "You even seem to cry pretty. It's not fair."

Sasuke let out a semi-scratchy laugh. "Wish I could say the same for you. You get all red and snotty...like a child."

Naruto whined and pinched his boyfriend's cheek lightly. "Bastard, you're so mean to me!"

Sasuke merely kissed his cheek in return. A moment passed before a notification beeped out from Sasuke's phone. Naruto grabbed it.

Sasuke sighed. "If that's Itachi just throw my phone out the window."

Naruto smiled sympathetically and handed the phone to Sasuke. "Maybe he's on your side now?"

Sasuke shot Naruto a withering look. "Has Hell frozen over all of a sudden?"

Naruto kissed the back of his hand and startled when Sasuke suddenly dropped his phone. "What? What's wrong?" He frowned when he noticed a mostly unreadable expression on the Uchiha's face, though there was a tinge of anger to it.

"Mother _fucker_. He's coming to see me next week. Here."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Here... _here_ here? As in our _home_ here?" At Sasuke's nod, Naruto groaned. He flopped into his boyfriend, letting his forehead fall against his shoulder. "He's going to immediately know that we're together, and then we're going to be _fucked_. And not the way either of us like."

Sasuke let out a snort at that and tossed his phone to the side. "I'm not even going to bother replying. Maybe he'll take a hint for the first time in his life."

Naruto kissed his shoulder. "You think he could?"

"Not a chance." Sasuke growled when his phone beeped again. "Oh fuck, _off_ nīsan!" He picked his phone back up and opened it.

Naruto kissed along his collarbone, feeling how tense his boyfriend had gotten all of a sudden. "What now?"

"He's bringing one of the women with him. The most 'promising one', apparently."

Naruto frowned and looked up at his boyfriend. The Uchiha looked incredibly fraught, his eyebrows drawn together and mouth pursed in a thin line.

Well...shit.

Naruto leaned up and pecked his lips causing the other to look down at him. There was a moment where they just stared at each other before Sasuke surged down and captured Naruto's lips in a kiss.

The blond let Sasuke move them so that the Uchiha was pressing him down into the bed, spreading his legs so Sasuke could manoeuvre between them. He tangled his fingers in his lovers inky black hair, tilting his head back as the other kissed down his neck. Naruto closed his eyes and let himself arch against the others' touch. Sasuke slid his hands under Naruto's shirt, running along the skin there and letting out a soft chuckle when the blond trembled under him.

If they were younger, still in the early stages of dating, Naruto probably would have fought back a bit more at Sasuke's firm touches, would have pressed back harder to try and get the upper hand. He was much younger and insecure then; more apprehensive and scared about intimacy and sex. Even though he had loved the Uchiha back when they first started fooling around, there was a part of Naruto that thought he _needed_ to fight back in order to retain some sort of dominance over the other. At the time he wasn't quite sure _why_ he was like that, but now that he's older and has been with Sasuke for years he knew it was all tied to how he personally viewed sex. The blond initially viewed topping as equal to dominance, which he thought he needed in order to have some kind of advantage over the other; that he needed to be the aggressor because...well, it was easier to be in Sasuke's shoes. Easier to just use Naruto for the time being, and then be done with him.

It's probably why their initial fling hurt the blond so much; he had felt so used every time. Now though...now, him and Sasuke were stable and in love and Naruto couldn't _believe_ they had ever been involved in the passive sexual encounters that filled their senior year of high school.

He supposed, though, it gave him more of an appreciation for the now and how far they had come. They had grown so much over the years, not only individually but also as a couple. There was such a level of _trust_ between the two now that Naruto didn't have with anyone else, _could_ never have with anyone else. It made his heart make cartwheels in his chest whenever he thought about it.

As for the dominance part of their relationship, Naruto quickly realized it was less about actually being the top and more about him wanting Sasuke to want him the same way Naruto _needed_ him. But it had been years now and Naruto knew that things weren't the same way. Whichever way they did things the blond knew the Uchiha wanted him. Sure, there were times they would still challenge one another; their competitive nature would jump out and they'd spend time rolling over one another, trying to gain some higher ground over the other, but that was more for the fun of things and less about overpowering the other.

Plus...there was a part of Naruto that loved being taken, loved being the one who could make Sasuke come as undone as only he could. And there was such a feeling of security Naruto felt. He wasn't sure how to describe it but he just felt so _protected_ when Sasuke held him. They did switch often and Naruto loved that too, but there was just something about taking the other in that he adored. He knew Sasuke felt the same.

At times like these though, times when Naruto could tell Sasuke was a little more unstable than normal he would gladly relinquish control to the other. Naruto knew that when things started to come undone in Sasuke's life that the Uchiha needed _something_ to reign over. And if that something was sex...well, Naruto was happy to oblige. He would put up no fight and indulge the other.

...if Naruto was being _entirely_ truthful he would say he lived for moments like this, but that's more a technicality than anything.

Naruto was snapped out of his reverie when Sasuke growled against his neck and _bit_. The blond let out a gasp and arched against the other, his hand coming up to grip at his boyfriend's shoulder. There was slight pain coming from the bite which Sasuke quickly soothed over with a chaste kiss.

"Sasuke..." Naruto said it softly and the Uchiha pulled back to look down at him. Naruto reached a hand into Sasuke's hair and carded his fingers through it slowly, Sasuke closing his eyes and leaning into his touch. Naruto let a soft smile grace his lips. "Hey..." At Sasuke's hum, Naruto continued. "Tell me what you want."

The Uchiha ran his hands along Naruto's sides slowly, touches feeling like whispers. Sasuke chuckled as the other let out a shaky sigh and shifted under him. "You need to ask?" He moved so he was straddling the others waist, leaning over him until their faces were a hair's breadth away from one another.

A hand cupped the back of his neck and pulled him closer. "Not technically...but it's always nice to hear that you want me." Naruto's gaze flicked to his lips and his tongue swiped over his own.

Sasuke watched him, his fingers ghosting over the blonds stomach. "Hm...I suppose it _would_ be nice to hear someone like myself express my need for you." He smiled at Naruto's laugh and light tug on his hair he received for his comment.

"Pretentious bastard..." The words were whispered against his lips and he quickly moved down to claim said lips in a kiss. His hands glided down and he hooked his thumbs under Naruto's pyjama pants, slipping them down teasingly. He pulled back and rested his forehead against the blonds.

"Just for the record...I _d_ _o_ want you. Idiot."

Naruto simply laughed and pulled him down into another kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im in the process of writing a continuation of this thats all sex bc. why not??? ill have it done in a few days hopefully!!! itll be posted as its own thing tho and ill link to it in the next chap of this
> 
> and next chap we're back to kiba!!! things will pick up a lot next chapter (hopefully oof) and things will continue from there
> 
> OH and im planning to update this fic around the same time every couple of days which is around 3:30PM for me (west coast baBEY), so!!! look out for chapters around then~
> 
> comments and kudos are much loved 💖


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took so long to put up fjnjkhr i hate that im sorry :((( i got a lil sick and ended up writing this like 3 different times before finally getting this done. idk why i had such a hard time with this chap but i STRUGGLED oof. i hope the length of this will make up for it tho!
> 
> also they dont live in japan but the festival i talked about,,,they have those in canada right,,,RIGHT,,,i mean vancouver has something like that but idk...its just a fun nondescript festival thats ok we dont need to put labels on these things. also this takes place in canada bc it just. it just Does alright
> 
> plus,,,i love the lil parallels i made in this 😔 i feel like my writings improving everyday and i?? am STOKED
> 
> oh and i feel like the relationships in this might be a little too like...intimate i guess?? but ive, haha, never really had friends tho so,,,idk how friends really act with one another so. so thats cool,,,pls tell me your thoughts bc im always looking for ways to make things better!
> 
> anyways, enjoy~~ 💖💖💖

There was an overwhelming feeling of _regret_ hanging over Kiba when he re-woke up on Sunday. He had slept not-so-soundly for a little more than four hours and it really felt like he might as well have not slept at _all_ for how rough he felt. There was a scratchiness in his throat, a leadenness to his eyelids, and an overall ache to his body. How was it possible he felt _worse_ than yesterday? The world was out to get him, he could swear it.

Though, Kiba thought, he almost preferred yesterday's wake up to this. _Almost_.

Kiba groaned and rolled onto his back, glancing at his phone that was beside his pillow. He had messaged Hinata before he ended up falling asleep at around 5AM saying that he was okay but that he wanted to talk to her and if they could meet up. She obviously hadn't replied yet as she was _normal_ and was asleep at such an early hour, but Kiba thought she'd probably message him soon and that he should be ready to see her when she arrived, because he knew she'd agree to see him. He scrubbed his hands over his face and sat up, grunting as Akamaru jumped on his bed and nudged his shoulder. "Hey, boy." Kiba chuckled as the large dog licked his hand, obviously wanting to be pet. "Hinata's going to come over soon, excited?" Kiba ran a hand over the dog's white fur and kissed his head when Akamaru suddenly jumped up and ran to Kiba's door, his tail wagging. Kiba rolled his eyes and got up to follow his dog. "Don't bug Sasuke and Naru, alright?" Kiba sighed as Akamaru excitedly ran to the others room, barking loudly and scratching at it. "Or do the opposite of that, whatever. That's fine too." He went to grab Akamaru by his collar when Naruto opened his door, the blond laughing and stumbling back when the dog jumped at him.

"Aka, good morning to you too!" He looked at Kiba over Akamaru's head and grinned brightly at him. Evidently, he'd had a good morning. "Kibbles, hey!" Kiba groaned at the nickname and reached a finger out to flick Naruto's forehead.

"How are you so _chipper_ already? It's only like...nine or something."

Naruto stuck his tongue out at the other man and moved his hand up to rub his forehead. "Hm...just because." As Akamaru walked past Naruto and into his bedroom, Kiba practically saw the afterglow of sex surrounding his friend and it all made sense.

Oh, and the room smelled like sex. There was that too.

Kiba made a face when Naruto looked at him smugly, leaning against the side of his door with his arms crossed. "This is what happens when you have a boyfriend and you're not a _disaster_ gay, Kiba." Naruto gestured vaguely at his body.

Kiba sneered at that and lunged forwards to pull Naruto into a headlock. "I'm far from a disaster, foxy. Besides, you're bi so that doesn't even _apply_ to you." Naruto struggled in his grasp and Kiba chuckled, knowing he could _easily_ overpower the other man.

Naruto let out a low whine and he writhed around, reaching for his boyfriend when Sasuke walked past them. "Sasuke, help meeeeee!" He groaned and kicked at the other man when the Uchiha simply rolled his eyes and easily moved past the two. "Bastard I'll _get_ you!"

Sasuke simply called out a, 'you can try!' as he made his way down the hallway.

Kiba let out a loud laugh and gave Naruto a noogie before letting him go. The blond shoved at his friend's shoulder and rubbed the top of his head, cheeks puffed out in annoyance. "Both you and Sasuke _suck_. I'm going to get rid of the two of you and surround myself with better people."

With a roll of his eyes Kiba pinched Naruto's cheek. "Good luck getting a better friend than me." Naruto swatted his hand away and Kiba crossed his arms. He started to feel uncomfortable when Naruto looked at him closely, scrutinizing him. "What?"

Naruto let out a soft hum and tugged the collar of Kiba's shirt down, paying no attention to the protests his friend made. He let out a low whistle. "Dude...have you _seen_ your neck? You look like you were choked by an octopus or something." Naruto snickered when Kiba tugged his collar back up and moved a few steps back.

"I saw enough of it yesterday." He grumbled and moved a hand up to rub at his neck. "Is it...are they _that_ noticeable?" He groaned at Naruto's nod. "I didn't know Shikamaru was also a vampire."

Naruto smiled sympathetically. "Well...there's not that many?" When Kiba scratched the back of his head and looked away bashfully Naruto grinned wickedly. "Oh...oh no _way_." He surged forwards and tugged at the hem of Kiba's shirt, lifting it up and practically _cackling_ at the multitude of marks on Kiba's torso. "I stand corrected. There's actually _so many_."

Kiba let out what can only be described as a growl and pulled his shirt down forcefully, re-covering his chest. "I wish that was all of them..." He mumbled, holding his hands up in an X in front of his chest when Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You don't need to see the other ones."

Naruto made a face. "I always knew you were a freak."

Kiba narrowed his eyes. "You want to start? You think I don't know what Bad Dragon is, Naruto?"

At Kiba's words Naruto paled before turning bright red. "That...um...I don't know what you're talking about! Bye!" He sputtered out in an uncharacteristically squeaky voice and hurried away.

Kiba rolled his eyes and patted Akamaru's head as the dog trotted past him, following the blond. As he made his way back to his room he heard Sasuke ask Naruto why he was so red, to which Naruto simply said, in very embarrassed tone, ' _do NOT ask_ ', and Kiba cracked a wide smile. Naruto was so incredibly easy to rile up and it never got old for Kiba. He loved the blond with all his heart but really, when he reacted like that who _wouldn't_ tease him?

Kiba grabbed a change of clothes and his phone before walking to the bathroom. He locked the door and stared at himself in the mirror, tugging the collar of his shirt down. He blanched at the site; he truly made _quite_ the picture. The hickies on his neck had grown darker and stood out against his tan skin starkly. Kiba ran his finger tips over them and felt the urge to scratch them off his skin. He sighed as he reached a particularly _painful_ mark. It was an undeniable bite mark right over the juncture between his neck and shoulder and Kiba cursed whatever God could hear him, and threw in an extra curse at Shikamaru for good measure.

What the fuck did he even bite him for anyways, huh? Was Kiba a chew toy?

_"I like making known what's mine."_

Kiba's fingers gripped at the sink and he bowed his head when Shikamaru's words from their night together replayed in his head. At the time he didn't know how much those words would hurt later on. He wished he had more foresight.

With a shake of his head that Kiba hoped would dispel those thoughts from his mind, he picked up his phone and was slightly disappointed when he saw Hinata still hadn't yet replied to him. Oh well.

As Kiba got into the shower, he thought about his relationship with Hinata. He and she had been friends since they were children and had stayed particularly close throughout all their lives. They were definitely an odd pair; Kiba being incredibly brash and impulsive whereas Hinata was much more demure and cautious. Though, Kiba figured, they also balanced each other out. Over the years Hinata had saved Kiba's ass more than once from something stupid he had wanted to do, and on the contrary Kiba had helped Hinata come out of her shell and be more social around others. Even still, Kiba remained incredibly audacious and Hinata painfully shy but they had definitely grown together into more well-rounded people.

Throughout their time as friends though, Kiba thought he had a crush on Hinata; there was even a fleeting moment of time when Kiba thought he might have been in love with her. They had gone on a date once, a pleasant night out at a summer festival, and it was...fine. But just fine. It frustrated Kiba because Hinata was one of those girls _all_ the guys wanted; she was beautiful, kind, had a great body (though if you told her that she'd turn absolutely _c_ _rimson_ ), and had such an air of grace around her. She pulled so many people in and Kiba had wondered why he didn't feel anything on their date because she obviously liked him and he thought he felt the same.

Before their date Kiba was _stoked_ ; he had spent an entire week talking about it to Naruto and fretted over the perfect place to take her because he just wanted it all to be so _special_. However the closer he got to going on the date he steadily grew more and more nervous. He thought that was normal; thought he was feeling like that because he was finally going on a date with Hinata, the girl of his dreams! She arrived at his house looking _gorgeous_ and Kiba felt his breath get taken away, but then things seemed to fizzle out for him. He shoved it away, thought it must be nerves taking over. After saying bye to his mother they had gone to the main part of town for the festival.

Their date had been pleasant for the most part; they had walked the streets of the festival, looking at different vendors and buying snacks and little souvenirs for themselves to remember the date by. The two had held hands for most of the night and stolen glances at one another before they'd give a bashful smile and look away. It was so positively _tender_ of them and Kiba still looked back on those moments fondly. Then the evening was rounding down to a close as it started to turn to night. It was nearing 10 when fireworks were being set off over the water. The two had gone to the top of a hill and stood watching the fireworks, twin looks of awe on their faces.

Then they kissed. Or, more accurately, Hinata kissed Kiba and he just kind of...stood there. Didn't push her away, didn't respond, just stood there. Afterwards Hinata looked as if she would _cry_. Her face got all red and her lip started quivering so Kiba pulled her in for another kiss and she froze. Kiba thinks that's the moment she realized he didn't like her; realized because he was crying, body quivering in a way he'd never felt before or since. She had held him, then; rubbed his back and whispered to him that he was fine, that she understood if he didn't like her the same way and he shouldn't cry, that it was _okay_. Then a firework went off over them and Kiba pulled back to look at it, wiping his cheeks as he did so. There was a sniffle beside him and he looked to see Hinata crying, but she was also smiling. Kiba simply hugged her, and they finished watching the fireworks together.

Since then, their relationship had become a lot more familial. Not necessarily brother/sister (Kiba already had one sister and she was _more_ than enough for him to handle) but definitely a stronger bond than he had with most people and Kiba was so glad to have her to confide in. He did have Naruto, sure, but sometimes he wanted a different opinion. Besides, Hinata was the _most_ level-headed person in their ragtag group of friends so it was always nice for her to be there as a kind of grounding force for Kiba. She was the yin to his yang and Kiba loved her.

Kiba stepped out of the shower and started towelling off, looking to his phone when a notification sounded from it. Hinata had replied to him. Her message had read 'Is 10 okay?' and Kiba hastily sent a message back saying it was fine. Then he realized that it was almost 10 _now_ and he started panicking a little. He still wasn't exactly sure _what_ he was going to tell her because Kiba had never really been in a situation like this. He'd had his fair share of blunders in love, sure, who _hasn't_ , but sleeping with a friend of theirs? A friend she knew well, and a friend who was dating one of _her_ friends? Yeah, safe to say this was a unique problem that had presented itself. He was starting to have doubts that he should tell her at all. Temari and Hinata were _kind of_ close but Kiba knew that something like this might weigh heavily on Hinata's conscience. It was killing his, at least.

Kiba let out a frustrated sound and hastily began getting dressed. In the words of Shikamaru Nara, _how troublesome_.

* * *

Kiba had made his way to the living room, flopping down on the couch and crushing Naruto under him from where the blond had been laying on it.

"Oh my god Kiba, get _off_ me you brute!"

Kiba sat up with a guffaw and looked down at the blond. "'You brute?' What are you, some princess stuck in a tower or something?" Kiba tilted his head slightly. "Well, you could be a pillow princess I guess."

Naruto groaned under him and wiggled around, trying to dislodge the other man. "Kiba pleeeeeease. I'm sore..." He muttered out and buried his face in the couch cushion.

Kiba chuckled and ruffled the back of Naruto's hair before conceding and moving to sit on the other end of the couch. "I can't believe you still get _sore_."

Naruto huffed and rolled over, shoving his foot against Kiba's chest. "Says the one who was _limping_ yesterday." Naruto smirked at the flustered expression that came over Kiba's features. "Also," He sat up, shoving a pillow in Kiba's face. "I'm not a pillow princess, dog breath!" He yelped and fell back when Kiba shoved the pillow back at him. "You're not very nice to your best friend." The blond said, running a hand through his hair, it had become quite _ruffled_ , before poking at Kiba's shoulder. "So...going to tell me why you were up so early?" He looked at the other man, becoming serious all of a sudden.

Kiba glanced at him and sighed. "Do I _need_ to?" At Naruto's fervent nod, Kiba crossed his arms against his chest, slumping down into the couch. A cross look appeared on his face and Naruto reached out, running a hand over Kiba's hair gently. Kiba snorted and looked at him. "Are you _petting_ me?"

Naruto gave a cheeky grin. "Well...it works when Aka's upset."

Kiba rolled his eyes and swatted Naruto's hand away. "Do I _look_ like a dog? Actually," He cut off Naruto when the blond opened his mouth. "Don't answer that."

Naruto shrugged. "I mean...you do have fangs. Now," He held up a hand when Kiba looked like he was going to protest. "No more deflections. Tell me what's wrong."

Kiba stared at him before sighing. "I..." He grabbed the pillow Naruto threw at him earlier and covered his face with it. He mumbled something into it and groaned when Naruto pulled the pillow away from him. He glanced at his friend, taking in the uneasy expression on his face.

"Is it something bad...?" The blond asked tentatively.

"It's...yes? But not really...I don't know." The brunet let out a frustrated sound and raked a hand through his hair. He looked at the blond when he felt him rub his arm comfortingly. Naruto gave a slightly strained but still encouraging smile and Kiba knew he should tell him. He should...but it was hard.

"Where's Sasuke?"

Naruto shot a bothered look at Kiba. "Hinata texted me to say she was coming over and he offered to pick her up. Now...tell me? Please? I want to be able to help if I can."

Kiba stared at the ceiling, weighing his options. He knew Naruto only wanted to help and was just being a supportive friend but _fuck_ if Kiba didn't hate having to say this out loud more than once. Though he did feel quite weirded out that Sasuke knew and Naruto didn't...dammit. With a sigh, Kiba looked at his friend.

"I told him I love him."

There they were; the words Kiba hated were out into the world _again_ and he could barely stand the way they stabbed his heart.

Naruto stared at Kiba in pure shock for a moment before a look of empathy overcame his features. "Kiba...seriously?" At Kiba's stony look Naruto wrapped him in a tight hug. "Are you sure? You're not just thinking you said that?" Naruto felt Kiba nod his head and he let out a deep sigh. "How... _why_ did you tell him?" Naruto pulled back and brushed a hand through Kiba's hair.

"I didn't _mean_ to say it, it just slipped out." There was a thought in the back of his mind that he _did_ mean to say it; did mean to tell Shikamaru that which he'd been harbouring in his heart for years, but Kiba was most certainly _not_ going to entertain that thought. There was no way Kiba was going to give that thought any more attention than it already had gotten because he would end up driving himself crazy over it.

He sighed as he felt Naruto kiss the top of his head.

"I'm sorry, Kiba." Naruto said, looking at his friend with a pitying expression.

Kiba simply shrugged in response. "Why? I'm the one who told Shika I was in love with him."

What happened next probably wouldn't have happened if Kiba had learned to just keep his _damn mouth shut_ but he was never that good at self preservation in the first place.

"K-Kiba?!"

They both whipped their heads to the source of the noise and Kiba cursed. Standing in the doorway were Sasuke and Hinata; the Uchiha had his hands over the woman's ears but it was evident she had heard what Kiba had said if her shocked look and red face were anything to go by. Sasuke let his arms drop to his side and he gave a sigh.

"...hn." He grunted out simply and closed the door behind him as he made his way to the kitchen.

"H...Hinata!" Kiba hopped up and stared at the woman, eyes wide and cheeks flushed. He felt _mortified_. This...this wasn't what he wanted to happen at all.

Naruto looked between Hinata and Kiba, scratching the back of his head nervously before jumping up and moving to hug the woman. "Er...hi Hinata!" The woman hugged back hesitantly, the blush on her face growing.

"N-Naruto, hello..." She smiled shyly and looked up as Naruto kissed the top of her head.

Naruto smiled back. "Well...I'll let you two talk!" He shared a last slightly panicked look with Kiba before leaving him alone with Hinata. It was definitely awkward, to say the least. Hinata waited a moment before slipping her shoes off and walking to her friend.

Kiba stood rooted to his spot, cursing himself internally. He hadn't even been 100% sure he was going to tell Hinata what happened but now he knew he had to.

They both said nothing, the silence between them stretching and feeling stifling. There was a sudden loud bark as Akamaru nuzzled his head against Hinata's arm. He had practically _flown_ into the living room when he heard Hinata arrive and now he was ready to greet her.

The woman smiled and giggled as the dog licked at her hand. "Good morning, Aka." She cooed and bent down to kiss his snout. Kiba watched them, a small smile growing on his face.

"So..." He cleared his throat and Hinata glanced at him. "You heard what I said...?" He let the question hover between them and felt himself grow embarrassed when Hinata nodded.

"I did." She stopped petting Akamaru and nervously started to tap her index fingers together. "Is that, um...w-what you wanted to talk to me about?" She glanced at the man beside her before quickly looking away again.

Kiba bit his lip and nodded silently. "Yeah...want to go on a walk with me so we can talk? I've been meaning to take Aka on a walk, too." He stared at Hinata and let out a breath when she nodded.

"Sure...that'll be nice." She smiled timidly and scratched at Akamaru's head. "Akamaru, you want to go on a walk?" She giggled as Akamaru jumped up and howled. "I'll take that as a yes!" The woman let out a squeak as Akamaru bit on the hem of her shirt, nearly dragging her to the door. Kiba groaned and threw a pillow at Akamaru's back.

"Akamaru let _go_ , please. Her shirt isn't a chew toy."

Akamaru whined and looked at Hinata, eyes wide and looking so _sad_. Hinata simply giggled and bent down to hug the dog.

Kiba rolled his eyes; Akamaru could be pathetically _dramatic_ sometimes. Kiba was making his way to the back door to grab Akamaru's leash when Naruto called out to him.

"We're going grocery shopping later. Need anything?"

Kiba shook his head without even looking at the other. "Just get anything, doesn't matter." He twirled the leash around in his fingers and left to put it on Akamaru. Kiba could feel Naruto watching him as he left, could practically _smell_ the unease the blond felt, but he was too nervous at the moment to really care.

His stomach felt as if it were doing somersaults in his body and he could feel his heartbeat in his throat. There was an uncomfortable clamminess that was making his hands feel cold and Kiba could only manage to give a pained smile Hinata's way as he hooked Akamaru's leash onto his collar.

"So...let's go?"

* * *

Kiba and Hinata walked in a strained silence for about ten minutes, until they reached a playground. Kiba walked to a tree and tied Akamaru's leash around it. He told him to stay put before walking with Hinata to a swing set. They were both a little big for the child-sized apparatus, their legs bending a little uncomfortably at how low to the ground the swings were. Kiba reached his hands up, clasping them around the cool metal and letting out a soft puff of air. He closed his eyes and pumped his legs as he began to swing. The chains above him squeaked and groaned - someone should probably oil them - and Kiba found himself smiling despite the displeasure the sound caused him.

To his left Hinata was watching him with a slightly unreadable expression; suddenly though she shook her head and smiled. She toed abstract designs in the gravel below her and merely sat there, watching as her friend swung higher and higher. His brown hair was being tousled by the wind rushing through it and becoming a wild mane.

Hinata had always felt quite enthralled by her friend. He had always been such a bold person; always doing what he wanted regardless of what others said and Hinata had found him fascinating since the day they had met. Initially she had been slightly intimidated by him because even when they were children he was just so _much_ all the time; all boisterous laughs and outrageous actions that Hinata found downright _shameless_ sometimes. Not that Kiba was a bad person, just that Hinata was never really sure what he was going to be like minute to minute. Hinata favoured stability and the spontaneity of her friend never made her feel all that, well, _s_ _table_. Kiba was someone who always ran on his emotions and didn't often think about the consequences of his actions until after he had made them. It had been a problem on much more than one occasion.

Hinata gave a wistful sigh and found herself thinking, not for the first time in her life, that she was in love with the man in front of her. She knew he was completely unattainable for a multitude of reasons but...she really couldn't help it. In a lot of ways, Kiba was someone she wanted to be; absolutely unabashedly _himself_ despite what others might sometimes say about him. Kiba truly didn't _care_ how he was perceived as long as he was able to be himself and Hinata fiercely wanted to be that way herself. Though, Hinata mused, perhaps this was the best way things could be; to just be best friends with the person she loved and be able to cherish him this way. Besides...romantic love wasn't the pinnacle of having feelings for someone. Platonic love could be just as good.

Hinata was taken from her thoughts when Kiba threw his head back and let out a noise that sounded suspiciously like a _roar_. She stared at the man for a moment before a wide smile broke out on her face and she herself let out a loud yell. Kiba dragged his feet in the gravel, stopping himself abruptly as he looked at Hinata. He stared at her, looking quite stunned at her sudden outburst. A blush steadily grew on Hinata's cheeks. "What?"

Kiba cracked a cheeky grin and shook his head. "Nothing. It's just nice to hear you let go sometimes. You're always so quiet and reserved."

Hinata mirrored Kiba's cheeky grin with a soft smile of her own. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Of course not!" Kiba said with a chuckle and shake of his head. The two fell into silence after that and Kiba quickly found his nervousness was creeping back up on him. He has this horrible sensation that he still had so many things to say despite already telling Naruto and Sasuke everything. He wasn't sure what he had to do to bury those thoughts but he desperately wanted them to go away. He clenched his hands around the chains of the swing set and flinched when his nails cut into his palms.

"Ouch..." He whispered to himself, looking up when he felt Hinata stop in front of him.

Hinata gently grabbed his hands and took them off of the swings chains; there were shallow marks that his pointed fingernails had cut into his skin. Hinata ran her thumbs over the marks before bringing his hands up to her face and kissing his palms. "You have to be careful, Kiba." Her voice was gentle and Kiba stretched his fingers out, running them over the tops of Hinata's cheeks.

"Yeah..." He breathed out and stared at the woman in front of him. Kiba was struck not for the first time just how _preciously_ Hinata treated him. It felt a little bit odd to him, if he thought about it seriously. Sometimes Hinata treated Kiba as if he were made of glass, like he'd break at the slightest touch; he always felt that she should be the one to be handled so carefully, not _him_. Though...maybe there was something in Kiba that Hinata saw in him that he had never picked up on himself. She'd always been able to read people surprisingly well even if they themselves weren't sure anything was wrong. It was a little scary sometimes that she knew so much because she never let on that she knew anything was amiss; she simply seemed to take information in and store it, waiting for an opportunity to help if it ever came up.

Kiba wished he could love her. It would be so easy.

Kiba jerked back a bit when Hinata cupped his cheeks suddenly, wiping away tears he hadn't realized he had shed. He looked at her but quickly glanced away when he noticed how intently she was staring at him. He heard her sigh.

Hinata moved her hands from Kiba's cheeks and to the back of his head, gently guiding him to rest his forehead against her shoulder. "It's alright to cry, Kiba." She whispered, smoothing her hand over his hair and effectively cradling him to herself.

"I've already cried, I don't need to anymore." Despite his words he hadn't stopped crying. Kiba fisted Hinata's jacket in his hands and held her close to himself. Hinata felt wetness begin running over her shirt from Kiba's tears but she didn't care; in fact it seemed to make her hold him closer. His shoulders were shaking with sobs and he was taking in deep, shuddering breaths. Hinata felt her heart break a little at her friend's state and she made an internal promise to Kiba in that moment that she would do all she could to help solve whatever problem had been caused.

Hinata held him like that until Kiba's tears subsided and he seemed to have calmed down enough to talk.

"Darling," Hinata's voice was soft and Kiba bit back a broken laugh at the nickname. "What happened? I heard what you said at the house, but what led to that? Why did you tell Shikamaru you love him?"

Kiba pulled back and relaxed against Hinata as she took his face in her hands and brushed his tears away. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky breath. "I don't know if I should tell you." He sniffled, feeling the worry practically radiating off of the woman in front of him. "I _want_ to tell you, I'm just...not sure what you'll think of me afterwards." Kiba opened his eyes when Hinata kissed his forehead and he looked up at her.

Hinata looked at him apprehensively. "Kiba," She began, giving a slight smile when Kiba moved his hands up to cover hers. "You know I could never think of you badly, no matter what."

Kiba knew that. In his heart he knew Hinata was telling the truth and that she would never look at him with any judgment but there was a seed of worry in his heart. He was afraid that too many people knowing about what happened could end badly. He had already told Naruto and Sasuke and while Kiba wasn't 100% sure, he figured Shikamaru would have told Ino or Chouji as well; at _minimum_ that was three people who already knew what happened and if Kiba told Hinata that would be four.

Kiba wouldn't be hesitating as much as he was if all of them weren't friends. If Shikamaru was just some random guy or if they had no mutual friends Kiba wouldn't waver for a _second_ in telling Hinata what happened but it simply wasn't that easy. Kiba often told Hinata about his love-life, appreciating the openness she had in listening to him talk and the occasional advice she would give. She had been an angel to him more than once and had saved him from bad relationships before but this was different; this was a horrible mistake of his own doing and he didn't know if Hinata should have to shoulder any of the guilt with him. He already felt bad enough about Naruto and Sasuke knowing and them potentially needing to take sides if things came to that.

Kiba was snapped from his reverie when Hinata moved a hand to brush Kiba's hair off of his forehead. Kiba looked at her and frowned at the worried look on her face. "I..." He looked down at his feet, shuffling them nervously.

Hinata tilted his face up. "Look at me, okay?"

Kiba stared at her and gave a soft nod. "Okay." He took a deep breath. "Shika and I...we slept together after a party."

There was a pause before Hinata drew in a sharp breath and Kiba immediately dropped his gaze again, staring at the ground. "Oh, Kiba. Honey..." Hinata drew him back towards her. "I'm sorry."

Kiba shook his head and moved his hands to circle around Hinata's waist. "Don't be. You're not the one who got drunk and spread your legs for h-" Kiba cut himself off with a sound of disgust, not able to finish what he was saying. He nuzzled his face against her shoulder, frowning when he felt the wet patch he had made with his tears. "I got your shirt all wet." He mumbled plainly and Hinata merely patted his back in response.

"It's okay..." She murmured, laying a kiss to the top of Kiba's head and rubbing his shoulders. Kiba relaxed against her.

Hinata stared down at him. "Neji mentioned you two went home together. Was it..." Hinata faltered, trying to find the right words to say. "Was it _planned_?"

Kiba stiffened in her arms and lifted his head to look up at her. There was an anxious look on his features and he tightened his hold around Hinata's waist. "It wasn't planned, it just happened. But," He dug the toe of his sneaker into the gravel below them. "Neji saw us leave together?"

Hinata was momentarily puzzled at Kiba's expression before she realized. "Oh!" She smoothed her hand over Kiba's hair in a reassuring way. "He was too drunk to know if something happened." She looked at Kiba, a soft smile on her face. Kiba gazed at her, searching her face for any look of duplicity; not that she would intentionally lie to him, but she _could_ leave something out to spare him from any anxiety. Finding that she looked genuine he gave a short nod.

"Yeah...we were all pretty trashed." He pulled back from Hinata enough to grab her hands and hold them in his. There was a slight uneasiness nagging at the back of his head at the prospect of Neji knowing something could have transpired between him and Shikamaru. Much like Hinata, Neji had an uncanny ability at reading people and knowing probably more than he should have. But unlike Hinata, Neji would store the knowledge and keep it in his back pocket in case it could bring him some sort of personal gain in the future. Neji was a much craftier, sneaky person than Hinata could ever be and knowing there was a _small_ possibility he could know that something happened...Kiba found that troubling. But for the moment he would push that thought aside because Neji could absolutely _not_ hold his liquor so...Kiba would be cautiously optimistic that Neji truly _didn't_ know anything happened.

Kiba ran his fingers over Hinata's knuckles and sighed. "I didn't want to tell you, you know." Hinata looked a bit hurt, and Kiba immediately hated the look on her face. "Not because I don't trust you! Because you and Temari are friends and I don't want you to feel guilty..." He trailed off as Hinata gave a soft laugh at his words. "What?"

Hinata smiled and shook her head. "Kiba, you know you're my closest friend. I want you to be able to tell me things so you don't struggle on your own. What happened isn't...well, it's not _good_ , but," She squeezed Kiba's hands at that and he winced. She had force when she wanted to. "I know that it was a mistake." She reached a hand up and flicked Kiba's forehead before quickly rejoining their hands. "Though..." She sighed. "It also doesn't really matter what my opinion is, does it? I'm on your side, even if Temari is my friend."

Kiba nodded at her words and then slumped down on his swing. "What am I going to _do_ , Hina?" He watched as Hinata turned her hands over in his and laced their fingers together, giving his larger hands a slight squeeze.

"Well," She tilted her head and her brows furrowed. Her expression was one of deep thought and Kiba felt himself smile slightly as he watched her. "I'd deal with things carefully. Think things through and don't just go into this however you want to." She shot a serious look at Kiba and he gave a sheepish smile. "Especially because this is Shikamaru. I don't know him as well as some of our other friends do but," She pursed her lips before letting out a sigh. "I think he's often more burdened by things than others realize." She gave Kiba's hands a final squeeze before pulling back from him and sitting back down on her swing.

Kiba looked at her, a little disconcerted at her words. "What do you mean?" He gripped the chains in his hands again, the coldness of them stinging into the marks on his palms.

Hinata regarded Kiba with a look of sympathy. "I mean...it's not possible for him to always be as calm as he seems to be. He's no doubt bottling _some_ stuff up. And now with this..." She shook her head. "He cheated on his girlfriend with a close friend of his. He's not going to show how much he's struggling with it; he never does."

Kiba nodded silently, feeling more shame over his actions grow inside him. He knew what he and Shikamaru had done was incredibly wrong but hearing Hinata say what Shikamaru was probably feeling about it all made it feel all the more real. Up until that point he'd only really thought about how it made _him_ feel but Hinata made him realize that it was probably worse for Shikamaru than it was for him. Sure, Kiba had romantic feelings for Shikamaru but...that was on him. Shikamaru was actually _dating someone else and had cheated on that person_.

Kiba's stomach turned and he immediately felt _sick_. Kiba had always prided himself on being a trustful and loyal person. He constantly did his best to be a genuinely good person to everyone and was very fierce in his morals. This was the first major indiscretion he'd ever had in his life and he was disgusted with himself. He couldn't believe all it took was to get _drunk_ for him to seemingly throw away all his beliefs, and for what? To have sex with a friend he never had a chance with, breaking his own heart in the process?

A lump was beginning to form in Kiba's throat and he glanced at Hinata, noticing she was watching him carefully. He tried showing her a reassuring smile but he could feel the disingenuous way it looked; it tugged at his cheeks in all the wrong ways and really...all he wanted to do was _cry_. Man...what the _f_ _uck_. Kiba wasn't usually an easy crier but here he was, having cried two times in as many days and feeling like if someone spoke to him the wrong way he'd fall into hysterics.

It was frustrating and Kiba hated it.

With a resolute shake of his head Kiba pushed himself on the swing again, closing his eyes as he felt the wind of his movements speed through his hair.

"Wanna see who can get higher?"

He didn't need to look at Hinata to know she agreed to his question; her swing squeaked louder than Kiba's did and right now it was _squealing_.

They stayed like that awhile; swinging horribly out of time with each other, swing set sounding like a banshee, when Kiba suddenly started to feel restless. He reached the apex of height he thought he could get to and he had the urge to _jump_.

And so he did.

Kiba leapt off the swing with a holler, skidding in the gravel and kicking up dust under his feet. He turned to Hinata with a wide grin on his face. "And he sticks the landing!" He struck a victorious pose, fingers out in a V sign.

Hinata laughed as she watched him. She kept swinging higher and higher, looking as if she'd nearly swing entirely around the top of the swing set, when... 

"Kiba, catch me!"

Kiba barely had time to react before Hinata leapt off her swing. He yelped and caught the woman before falling back, the both of them tumbling in the grass. Kiba gasped and looked at Hinata as she rolled off to the side, concerned she had been hurt. He crawled to her side and crouched over her, worry in his eyes as he grabbed Hinata's shoulder.

"Hina, are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

Hinata had landed on her back and Kiba was concerned when she didn't move. Suddenly though she threw her head back, loud laughs falling from her lips.

"I told you to catch me!"

Kiba watched her in silence for a moment before a beaming smile broke out on his face and he laid down beside her.

"I had no time to prepare! You practically _fl_ _ung_ yourself at me, you mad woman!"

They both dissolved into giggles and laid beside each other, staring at the clouds with contended smiles on their faces. As Hinata reached out to grab Kiba's hand and lace their fingers together, he felt his anxiety melt away. For a moment he let himself think about nothing; Hinata's warm hand in his and the nebulous clouds above him bringing him quick comfort.

"I understand why Shika watches the clouds so much..." He murmured all of a sudden, almost seeming to not realize he had said anything.

Hinata glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and squeezed his hand. "You're in deep for him."

Kiba let out a sad laugh and fisted some grass in his free hand. "Yeah...I sure am." He sniffled and tugged the grass out of the ground. It drifted out of his palm when he let it fall.

Hinata squeezed his hand again. "Hey..." She began softly. "I totally swung higher than you, by the way."

Kiba saw the teasing smile she aimed his way and he couldn't stop the small smile that grew to match hers.

"You wish."

* * *

Kiba and Hinata spent the rest of the day together. It had been a while since they'd spent time together like that, just the two of them. Kiba had really missed it.

They walked through town until afternoon turned to evening and evening turned to dusk. It almost reminded Kiba of their date all those years ago; this time though they had Akamaru with them and there was no festival in sight but it was still the same vibe of them walking together and simply _being_.

Kiba smiled, giving Hinata's hand a squeeze (they often held hands; it kept creepy guys away from Hinata and also...Kiba just liked to hold hands) and bent down to kiss her temple. "Thanks for today. It's really what I needed after these last couple days."

Hinata looked at the other, a breathtaking smile on her face and sparkle in her eyes. If Kiba looked close enough if the dim glow of the streetlights above them he could swear she was blushing, too. "I'm glad you're feeling better." She reached a finger up to poke his cheek, giggling when he playfully bit at it. "You look so much happier than this morning." She stopped with Kiba at a street corner. There weren't many cars out anymore and most people walking around were couples enjoying the last few hours of the weekend. It felt nice to be out like this.

Kiba nodded and let out a contented sigh as he looked at Hinata. "I feel so much better too." He reached down, wrapping Hinata in a tight hug. He closed his eyes and nuzzled his face against her hair. "How are you getting home?" He murmured. "I can walk you home if you want."

Hinata pulled back enough to look at him and tucked some hair behind her ear. "Don't be silly, it's too far to walk! It would be so late by the time you got home." She pulled her cellphone out from her purse. "I'll just call Neji to get me. He owes me for me not telling my dad how he came home the other day." Her eyes had mischief in them and Kiba chuckled.

"Okay. Although," He frowned and looked around. "It's getting dark out...are you sure you'll be alright waiting?" Kiba looked at Hinata as she moved her hand to his cheek and rubbed over his tattoos.

"You worry too much, Kiba. I'll be fine." She pointed at a building near them. "Besides, I'll just stay at this cafe until Neji gets here." Kiba still looked a little worried and Hinata gave his cheek a small pinch. "Have a little faith in me, okay?" She pouted. "I'm not some damsel who can't protect herself. Have you forgotten I know aikido?"

Kiba sighed and pulled Hinata in for another hug. "I didn't forget..." He grumbled and gave the woman a squeeze, laughing when she squeaked and struggled in his hold.

"Kiba let me _breathe_ , please!" She gasped as she was let go and made a face of annoyance at her friend. "Thank you. Now," She opened her phone and entered Neji's phone number. "I'll call Neji then you can get home."

Hinata smiled when her cousin answered her call. "Neji! Hey, so, I know it's kinda late but remember the other day when I didn't tell my dad you were drunk?" Kiba chuckled when he heard the man on the line groan as Hinata told him she needed to be picked up. He waited as Hinata gave Neji the intersection of the street they were at and the name of the cafe she'd be in before hanging up.

Hinata smiled and placed her phone back in her purse. "There." She stood up on her tiptoes to give Kiba's cheek a peck. "You get home before it gets too dark, okay?" Kiba nodded slightly as he smiled.

Hinata leaned down and kissed Akamaru on his snout. "You be a good boy, okay?" She laughed as the dog barked and nuzzled her. "You're right, you're already the _best_ boy!" Akamaru let out a loud howl and Hinata smiled, petting his head as she stood up. She waved at them as she walked inside the cafe. Kiba watched and waited until she sat at a table. Hinata had a slightly tired expression on her face as she noticed Kiba hadn't left yet but she smiled all the same. Kiba gave a final wave and tugged on Akamaru's leash as the dog didn't seem to want to leave.

Kiba rolled his eyes as the dog let out a loud whine, gazing at Hinata through the cafe's window. "Aka don't be such a drama queen; you'll see her again." Akamaru let out another whine but fell into step beside his owner as they began to walk home.

* * *

It was nearing twilight when Kiba finally made his way home. He had taken a long walk home, enjoying the fresh air and the clarity it gave his mind. Kiba couldn't _believe_ it had only been a day since him and Shikamaru had been together. He felt more disgust with himself in that one day to last the rest of the year.

Kiba shook his head, hoping to dismiss those thoughts for the rest of the night. Akamaru ran into the house excitedly when Kiba finally opened the door and he rolled his eyes. Akamaru had only been out for a day but he still acted like he hadn't seen Naruto and Sasuke in _forever_. Kiba toed his shoes off after locking the door and walked into the living room, Naruto's laughs a welcome sound.

"Aka it was only a _day_!" He heard Naruto say, humour lacing his words.

Kiba chuckled and followed after his dog, making his way to the couch and sitting down on it. He groaned when Akamaru tried to sit on his lap. "Akamaru _please_ get off. You're far too big for this." Akamaru merely huffed in response and stretched out over his and Naruto's legs. Kiba rolled his eyes and looked at Naruto when the blond nuzzled his shoulder. "Yes? Can I help you?" He shrugged Naruto off of him, not caring when the blond pouted at him.

"I was just going to say you look a lot happier now than you have all weekend. It's nice. ...Dick." He stuck his tongue out at his friend. Naruto yelped when Kiba shoved his hand into his face and chuckled.

"I am a lot happier. It’s been awhile since I've hung out with Hinata just one-on-one. I think it's what I needed."

Naruto nodded at that and smiled. "I'm glad. Seeing you all bummed out like you were _sucked_ , man."

Kiba shrugged and took Akamaru's leash off the dog's collar. He tossed it somewhere to the side and propped his feet up on the coffee table. "I wasn't that bummed."

Naruto deadpanned and said nothing, simply looking at Kiba with a look that said _are you serious_?

Kiba rolled his eyes at his friend then noticed the absence of his other roommate. "Sasuke's not here?" He looked at the blond as he shook his head.

"He is, just talking to his brother. He's coming here next week."

Kiba blinked and looked at his friend. "All the way from Japan? Why?" Kiba had only met Itachi on a few occasions and didn't know him at all, but Naruto said he was a lot like Sasuke. Seeing as Sasuke wasn't the type of person to just randomly travel halfway across the world to see his family, Kiba figured something must be up.

Naruto sighed dramatically and rested his head on Kiba's shoulder. "He's bringing over a prospective wife for Sasuke."

"I'm sorry...he's _what_?" Kiba looked at his friend in shock. Blond hair shook in his vision as his friend nodded. "Uh...okay. Naruto you're going to need to explain to me because _what the fuck_." Naruto shrugged and Kiba watched him with confusion. Naruto was _much_ too calm at the thought of the love of his life being married off to some woman.

"His dad's not happy Sasuke isn't married yet so he's decided to take things over for him. Initially he wanted Sasuke to fly to Japan to meet like...three? Women?" Naruto's brows furrowed before he nodded to himself. "Something like that. Anyways, Sasuke told Itachi that wasn't going to happen so Itachi decided he'd come here with the 'best choice' for Sasuke or _whatever_ the fuck his dad decided to agree to because I know damn well this wasn't Itachi's idea and that his dad orchestrated everything." Naruto huffed at the end of his small rant and crossed his arms.

Kiba gave a slight chuckle and ruffled Naruto's hair. _There_ was the annoyance he had expected. He was still much calmer than Kiba thought he would be but if Kiba was being honest he preferred this version of his friend to the loud, brazen way he used to express his displeasure at things.

The two men looked up when Sasuke stomped into the living room, his face contorted in anger. Kiba could almost _feel_ the enmity radiating from his body. Kiba shared a look with Naruto as Sasuke sat down with what sounded like a growl. He threw his phone on the table and didn't even flinch when it shot off the end and ended up under the couch.

"I fucking _hate_ my father."

Naruto reached under the couch to grab Sasuke's phone and _gently_ place it on the table. "What happened? I thought you were talking to Itachi?"

"I _was_. Then Itachi informed me our father didn't approve of him coming here alone with the woman so he's tagging along as well." Naruto and Kiba shared another look. The blond looked considerably more anxious at this new information and Kiba nodded his head in Sasuke's direction.

Naruto got up and walked to Sasuke, placing himself in his lap and cupping his face in his hands. "It's going to be okay, Sasuke..." Naruto murmured lowly and kissed his boyfriend's forehead. There was still such an air of ire surrounding the Uchiha and it made Naruto feel ill at ease. Sasuke gripped at Naruto's hips painfully and the blond flinched a bit but otherwise said nothing.

"Is it? Because _first_ it was just Itachi which was bad enough, but now it's Itachi and our _father_." Sasuke levelled Naruto with a harsh glare and the blond frowned at that. Sasuke hadn't looked at him like that in years. It was worrying, to say the least.

Kiba cleared his throat and shrunk back when Sasuke's glare switched to him. He would never admit to it, but that look always made him fearful. Sasuke could look downright _intimidating_ when he wanted to and his glare could stop even the strongest of people in their tracks. Kiba gave a nervous grin and scratched the back of his head. "Well...where are they going to sleep? I don't think either of them would want to share my bed."

There was silence for a few moments before Naruto broke it.

"Oh my _god_ , Kiba." Naruto groaned.

"What? Just trying to lighten the mood. I don't want you two to get in a fight or anything." He grumbled.

Naruto looked at his boyfriend when the man snorted and tightened his grip on him. "We're not going to get into a fight." Naruto noticed Sasuke's glare had mostly dissipated and was replaced with a look of pure distaste. The blond smiled and kissed his boyfriend's temple. Had this been a few years ago he knew it would be much harder for Sasuke to reign in his anger and control it; he used to let it take him over so much more when he was younger but he'd gotten a lot better at dealing with it lately. Naruto was proud of him. He nuzzled against the other man and kissed under his chin.

"Right! Not that I'd ever let us get into a fight, but whatever." He pulled back to look at Sasuke head-on. "Seriously though...where _are_ they going to stay?" He tilted his head. "If your dad is coming too that makes three people and we don't have the room."

Sasuke grunted. "I don't care where they stay. Even if we had the room they wouldn't be staying with us."

A sigh passed Naruto's lips before he nodded and kissed Sasuke's temple. "So...what about me? Where should I go while he's here?"

Sasuke frowned. "Why would you go anywhere?" He looked at his boyfriend.

"Well," Naruto began, looking away and playing with the hem of his shirt absentmindedly. "You're planning to tell him about us? I mean, if it were just Itachi we could _maybe_ convince him to somehow not tell your dad about us, but if your dad is coming too it'll probably be harder to hide things..." Naruto shrugged. "I just don't want to make things difficult for you. I'm sure I could find somewhere to stay for a few days."

"Naruto..." Sasuke sighed and tilted Naruto's head up so they were looking at each other. Naruto's eyes were full of worry and apprehension in a way Sasuke hadn't seen in _years_. He hated that look; that look of unsureness his blond boyfriend didn't show unless he was _very_ skeptical about things. The blond was usually so resolute in his feelings and emotions so to see him like this...it always made Sasuke feel more cautious about things. "I won't lie. The thought of telling my father terrifies me but I always knew he'd find out eventually, one way or the other. At least this way _I_ get to be the one to tell him. It's going to be fine. Okay?" Naruto didn't immediately respond so Sasuke leaned in and left a chaste kiss on his lips. "Like this it's on my terms. Besides," Sasuke leaned back in his chair and pulled Naruto against his chest. "I've been wanting to get telling him over with. It'll be like a band-aid; quick, easy and hopefully painless."

Naruto nestled against his chest and gave a quiet snort. "Has anything with your dad ever been quick and easy?"

Above him, Sasuke chuckled and ran his hands over Naruto's back. "Never." He trailed his fingers along Naruto's spine. "But it needs to be done. Don't worry about this, okay?"

Naruto sighed, settling himself comfortably against Sasuke. "Easier said than done. You're going to come out to your _dad_ , bastard."

Sasuke made a noncommittal sound and kissed the top of Naruto's head. They looked up when Kiba came back into the room (when had he even left?) carrying the Xbox he used in his bedroom. Naruto pushed off Sasuke's chest and watched as Kiba placed the system on the table.

Naruto watched his friend curiously and caught the controller the other man had thrown at him. He gave a soft laugh when he noticed this was the controller he had used when him and Kiba were younger; it still had the picture of a fox he had put on it. He looked at his friend. "You want to play?"

Kiba shrugged. "I would have suggested weed but none of us smoke, so..." He held up the games in his hands. "What do you say? Stress relief by killing zombies? It'll be like when we were teens blowing off steam in high school." He grinned when Naruto jumped off Sasuke's lap and went to set things up.

"I bet I'll still kick your ass like I did back then, pup."

Kiba snorted. "I'd like to see you try, foxy."

And Naruto would try...and he would fail in quite spectacular fashion. Clearly the years of not playing video games had eroded his skills (Kiba even asked if he remembered how to hold the controller properly, which Naruto promptly replied with an ' _I know where I can shove this controller, bitch_ ') and Kiba won nearly every game they played.

Kiba went to bed a few hours later, feeling considerably lighter than he had when he woken up that morning. He knew things were going to come crashing down on him one day soon but for now he'd get some much needed rest.

He was going to need it, he could tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chap shika & kiba will talk a lil bit finally :’) im sorry if things are going a little slowly but its just how i write
> 
> hopefully next chap wont take as long to write!!!
> 
> kidos and comments are so wonderful and i love them c:


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idk how universities work pls look past anything thats wrong
> 
> also things get a little ~saucy~ in this chap,,,i wasnt intending for it to be like that but it just happened so i guess Thats the direction things are going...i aint complaining tho!!! we stan horny idiots in this household (irl tho dont do what they do you Will be forcibly removed from a library) (also dont ever cheat on someone bc if u do u do i will haunt u ok <3)
> 
> ALSO,,,ITS BEEN OVER 3 WEEKS IM SO SORRY,,,i didnt want it to take this long but then depression decided to kick my ass so it made things hard :/ i have good news tho,,,this chap here was originally much longer before i cut it in half (it was,,,almost 20k words,,,) so youll get another chap very soon!!! within the next day or two as im still editing it a lil but look forward to it!

It was Monday. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and everything was perfect!

...just kidding, everything fucking _s_ _ucked_. The sun was not shining as the sky was overcast, the birds were not in fact singing because even _they_ were still asleep, and Kiba felt like garbage. Overall, not the _best_ start to the week.

Kiba had hopes he'd wake up in a better mood today; he'd gotten into bed content and feeling significantly happier than he had the rest of the weekend, but those feelings didn't last long. Alone with his thoughts that night he quickly fell into deep feelings of regret and guilt that made him feel terribly anxious. He had wanted to fall asleep quickly so morning could come sooner and he could talk to Shikamaru and figure out just _what the hell they were going to do about what happened_ , but instead of _that_ happening Kiba was kept up by his thoughts for most of the night. He was so damn tired after not sleeping well all weekend but he just couldn't turn his brain off; couldn't silence his inner voice for more than a fucking _s_ _econd_ so he could get some damn rest. He was beyond exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

There was a cruel voice taunting Kiba from the back of his mind saying horrible things; that he deserved this and more. That this is what he got for fucking around and doing something he shouldn't have done, as if he wasn't painfully aware of that already. Kiba _knew_ he shouldn't have done what he did so could that voice leave him alone? He would beg for it to, if need be.

With a grunt Kiba sat up in his bed and ran a hand through his hair. There wasn't much he could do about it now; if he tried to get to sleep now he'd only be more sluggish when he woke up because he had _maybe_ an hour to rest. He toyed with the idea of staying home and not even bothering with getting out of bed but he knew that wouldn't do anything to help him.

Stretching his arms above his head and yawning, Kiba decided he'd get an early start on his day in the hopes that maybe, possibly, it would help distract him from the turmoil going on in his mind. Kiba trudged his way to the bathroom, barely missing a still sleeping Akamaru, and grimaced at his sight in the mirror. He looked just as he felt; exhausted. There was a paleness to his normally tanned skin that made him look sick and he had deep bags under his eyes. With a closer look he also noticed the bite mark on his neck still stood out against his skin and he realized he'd need to cover it with something. His hair was long enough to _just_ brush over it but it didn't hide it near well enough to where it wouldn't be noticed. Why couldn't Shikamaru have been him somewhere less _obvious_? Kiba grabbed a bandage and set it aside to place over the mark. He took another look at himself and sighed before jumping into the shower.

* * *

A cleaner and slightly less tired looking Kiba emerged from the shower not too long later. There was steam on his mirror and a stripe of it was removed with a swipe of his hand; his nose scrunched up as he noticed the bite on him starkly stood out. Kiba quickly towelled off his neck and placed the bandage over the mark. He was sick of seeing it and he hoped out of sight meant out of mind.

Wrapping a towel around his waist, Kiba walked back to his room and prodded Akamaru awake with his foot. The large dog opened his eyes and barely lifted his head to regard Kiba. He had been so active all weekend and yet today he was being quite lazy. Who knew Monday's took a toll on dogs too?

Kiba rolled his eyes and began getting dressed. "Oh sorry for waking you, Aka. I know you must have _such_ a busy day ahead of you that you need to be _so_ well rested for." His words were dripping in sarcasm and Akamaru huffed in response at his tone. Kiba quickly towelled off his hair, tossing the material onto Akamaru when he was done. "Up or I won't take you to the shelter today." Akamaru perked up at that and stood, shaking off the towel and trotting to Kiba's side. The Inuzuka reached down to pat his dogs head. "Good boy." He said and followed Akamaru out of his room.

Kiba smelled coffee so he knew someone was up, and upon walking into the kitchen he saw it was Naruto. The kitchen table had papers strewn about all over it and his friend was staring at his screen with narrowed eyes. His tongue was stuck out, something Naruto did when he was concentrating _really_ hard on something, and Kiba chuckled.

Naruto looked up from his laptop and smiled upon seeing Kiba. "Morning, Kiba."

Kiba hummed in response, grabbing an apple and biting into it. "Hm. What's all this?" Kiba gestured to the table.

"I forgot I have an essay due...today."

Kiba rolled his eyes and sat down across from him. "Of _course_ you do." He raised an eyebrow when he noticed Naruto was wearing his boyfriends glasses. "What's with the specs, dude?"

Naruto blushed and took them off, placing them on the table. "I thought if I wore them it might make me smarter and I’d be able to finish my essay faster..." Naruto's words turned in a whine when Kiba laughed at him. "Shut _up_ okay...I thought it was a good idea at the time!"

Kiba snickered and stood up to get himself some coffee. "I can't believe you thought wearing Sasuke's glasses would help you finish your essay. I know you're blond but _seriously_."

A balled up piece of paper bounced off the back of Kiba's head as he poured his coffee and he laughed again.

"Oh fuck _off_. It's Monday, give me a break."

Kiba walked back to the table with his coffee and sat down, sparing a glance at his pouting friend. "It's just too easy with you." He took a sip of his drink, the liquid warming him. "You don't need to worry about getting me to uni today."

"You're taking the bus?"

"Walking."

Naruto blinked and looked at Kiba over the top of his laptop. "All the way to school? Why?"

Kiba shrugged. "I just want to. Maybe fresh air will make me feel better about...everything." Kiba waved a hand through the air abstractly. "You know?"

Naruto gave a slight nod. "Yeah...how are you doing today though? You don't look as shitty." Naruto grinned. "Which I'd say is an improvement."

Kiba grunted. "Thank you _so_ much. You're such a great friend, really." He said in a deadpan voice. Naruto gave a mock bow to him and Kiba rested his chin on his hands. "And...I don't really know. I feel nervous. Like… _s_ _uper_ nervous." Kiba bit at his lip. "What am I going to say if I see him? Like...how do I act? How is _he_ going to act?"

"Well, Shika’s usually pretty calm. Maybe you two will be able to just talk it out?"

Kiba drank the rest of his coffee in one go. He set his mug down and tapped his nails against it. "I don't think it's going to be that easy. And even if it is he knows how I feel about him now. It's more than just what happened. At least to me it is." Naruto watched as Kiba stood and moved to the sink, placing his mug in it. Suddenly Akamaru trotted up to the table and nuzzled his head against Naruto's hand. Naruto scratched over his snout, the dog letting out a pleased huff at the action.

"Hi boy!" He smiled and looked to where Kiba was standing. "Are you taking him to your sister's today?"

Kiba sighed and nodded. "Yeah...the shelter won't be open by the time I get there. I'll have to take him to Hana's and she'll take him to the shelter when she gets there."

Kiba's mum owned an animal rescue shelter that Kiba's older sister worked at, and Akamaru was sort of the mascot for the place. Every week day Kiba would bring Akamaru either to his sister's house or the shelter depending on when he got around to taking him, and he'd pick him up at the end of the day. Kiba was glad for the arrangement as Akamaru always ended up sulking when he was left alone for too long, and it was just nice for Kiba to have the insurance someone was looking after him while he was gone.

Kiba would have liked to take Akamaru to uni with him but his dog was far too big to fit in his jacket like he had when he was a puppy.

Kiba exhaled a sigh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Do you think she'll notice something is up with me?"

"Hana? Oh, _definitely_."

Kiba sighed. “That’s not what I wanted to hear, dude. Maybe she’ll be busy and I’ll be able to leave before she sees me?”

Naruto shrugged in response, preoccupied with getting Akamaru to sit. Naruto laughed and clapped when the dog did so and Akamaru let out a loud bark. Kiba chuckled and walked back to the table.

Just then Sasuke walked into the kitchen with a loud yawn. He moved behind Naruto and wrapped his arms around his shoulders, placing his chin on his head. “Morning…” He managed to say through another yawn to his boyfriend, grunting out a greeting afterwards to Kiba.

Kiba nodded at him in response and Naruto turned his head to give Sasuke’s cheek a peck. “Morning sleepyhead.”

Sasuke snorted. “Don’t start. I barely got any sleep last night.”

Naruto moved his hands up and rubbed over Sasuke’s forearms. “I’m _teasing_.” He ran a finger over one of the many tattoos Sasuke had on his arm before bringing one of Sasuke’s hands to his face, laying a kiss over his palm.

Across the table from them Kiba’s face pinched together like he had just eaten a lemon. “You two are so _gross_ , you know that?”

Naruto hummed. “Would you like us to be grosser?” He asked teasingly and turned his head so he was facing his boyfriend.

Kiba groaned. “Don’t you _dare_. Do you know how many things I’ve already seen you two doing? I’m going to have _nightmares_ , bro.” He shuddered.

“It’s nothing you don’t do with other men, Kiba~”

Kiba fake gagged when Naruto pecked Sasuke’s lips. “Doesn’t mean I want to see _you_ doing it.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes at their antics and pinched Naruto’s cheek. “Naruto, stop teasing him. Kiba...don’t come into our room if the door is closed.” He shrugged and sat beside his boyfriend.

“One time you two were in the _living room_.”

“...okay, true.”

Kiba rolled his eyes and stood from the table. “I’m going to school. See you guys later.”

Sasuke watched him. “You’re not riding with us?”

“Nah. I wanna walk today. Clear my mind a little.”

Sasuke gave a slight nod. “Alright. ...good luck today.”

Kiba looked at Sasuke a moment and then cracked a lop-sided grin. “Thanks. I think I’ll need it.” He whistled and Akamaru trotted to his side. “Let’s go, boy.”

When Naruto heard the front door close, he turned to Sasuke and kissed the corner of his mouth. The Uchiha raised a brow at him, and Naruto grinned. “I like seeing you two get along. It makes me really happy.” He answered the question Sasuke didn’t need to ask.

“You’ve said that a few times lately.”

“I know. You’ve just been a lot less dickish to him lately.”

“Hey, I’ve been hardly dickish to him since he moved in with us, and that was a while ago.”

Naruto blinked at his boyfriend.. “His first week here you replaced his cereal with Akamaru’s dog food.”

Sasuke dipped his head to kiss Naruto’s shoulder. “Yeah, well...actually I don’t really have an excuse for that.” He shrugged and chuckled.

Naruto poked his cheek. “My point exactly. Anyway,” He smiled. “I’m just glad you’re friends now. Two of my favourite people.” He sighed dramatically and rested his head on Sasuke’s shoulder.

Sasuke kissed the top of Naruto’s head then noticed his glasses on the table. “Why do you have my glasses? You don’t need them.”

Naruto blushed a bit in embarrassment. “I...thought maybe wearing them might make me smarter…” He mumbled and huffed when Sasuke chuckled. “Kiba already made fun of me for it, don’t join him.”

Sasuke didn’t reply and instead picked his glasses up. He tilted Naruto’s face up and placed them on his boyfriend. Naruto blinked a few times then squinted his eyes, his vision growing fuzzy as he looked through the lenses.

“I don’t know how I wore these earlier; everything's so blurry.” Naruto looked at his boyfriend and smirked at the enamored look on his face. “I guess I look good, though?”

Sasuke leaned in to peck his lips. “You do...makes me want to do bad things to you.”

Naruto grinned, remembering when he said the same thing to Sasuke the day before. “Tell me what looking like this makes you want to do to me, teme.”

Sasuke chuckled and ran a hand through Naruto’s bangs. "Maybe fuck your face then cum on them. Or take you from behind, see if I can fuck you hard enough to make them fall off." 

Naruto laughed and turned his head to kiss Sasuke’s wrist. “Hey, I still haven’t done either of those things to you yet.”

“Well, we do have some time left before we need to leave…” Sasuke smirked when Naruto sat on the table in front of him, the blond tugging Sasuke close to him.

“Then lots not waste any more time, bastard!” He grinned as Sasuke pulled him in for a kiss. “Maybe you can even think of other things to do to me...” He whispered against the Uchiha’s lips.

Sasuke simply kissed him again in response.

* * *

Kiba had, thankfully, not come face-to-face with his sister when he showed up at her house. She was showering and Kiba hollered out that he was dropping Akamaru off and didn't wait for a reply before rushing off. That was one potentially annoying conversation avoided for the time being but Kiba knew he probably used up all his luck on that and now he was dreading the inevitable meeting he'd have with Shikamaru later that day. He just hoped he would have at least a little bit of time in the morning before seeing him. He didn’t totally trust himself to act completely rationally at the moment with his mind as mixed up as it still was.

Kiba readjusted his backpack on his shoulder and shivered when he felt a wind blow past him. He pulled the hood of his jacket over his head then glanced up at the sky, frowning at the darkening clouds above him. He probably should have brought an umbrella with him because it looked like there was going to be a storm. He quickened his pace, hoping to get to school before he got caught in the rain, when he froze. He saw Shikamaru’s car pull up the sidewalk a few feet in front of him. Immediately his heart started racing and his mouth grew dry. This is what he had been dreading; when he would see Shikamaru and have to confront what happened between them. It was such a daunting thought, really, and now it was all coming together.

Or so Kiba thought. The passenger side of Shikamaru's car opened and someone stepped out. Kiba drew in a breath and clenched his hands unconsciously in his jacket pockets. A tall blonde woman crossed to the front of Shikamaru's car and leaned into the window, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear as she said something to Shikamaru. Kiba knew immediately that it was Shikamaru's girlfriend, Temari, and it took all Kiba had to not turn tail and run the opposite direction before either of them saw him. Confronting Shikamaru was one thing, but Temari? That was another thing entirely. Kiba didn't know her all too well but he knew she was a force to be reckoned with. There was hope because she was being cordial with Shikamaru which probably meant she didn't know anything but seeing her had made Kiba's heart nearly stop beating. He took a few steps back and placed himself behind a tree. It didn’t exactly hide him but it made Kiba feel a little bit better not being so out in the open.

But Shikamaru must have seen Kiba in his side mirror because as Temari was moving to leave, her boyfriend grabbed her wrist and tugged her down into a kiss. The blonde woman froze in shock for a moment, clearly taken by surprise, before leaning into the window and eagerly responding to her boyfriend's action. Kiba looked away, then. He had known it was done on purpose and he hated the way it stung. Temari let out a soft chuckle as she pulled back from Shikamaru and Kiba quickly whipped back to look at them. She said something as she took a few steps from the car and gave a wave to Shikamaru.

From where Kiba was standing he could see Shikamaru look at him from his side mirror. They shared a look that nearly took Kiba's breath away; Shikamaru's eyes regarded him with such indifference and Kiba never felt such _coldness_ from the other man. The look was broken when Shikamaru looked away, pulling back from the curb and driving off.

Kiba was rooted to his spot as he watched Shikamaru drive off. He was alarmed when he heard Temari call out to him and he looked to the woman. She gave a friendly smile and waved at him. Mentally, Kiba cursed. Outwardly though he plastered on a friendly smile and walked towards her.

"Um...morning, Temari."

Temari smiled, returning the greeting but then she sighed. "I wonder if Shikamaru didn't notice you standing here. He could have offered to drive you to uni."

' _Oh, he **definitely** noticed I was here_', is what Kiba wanted to say; instead, he shrugged.

"It's fine. I wanted to walk anyway, so..." Kiba ended with another shrug and Temari regarded him with curiosity.

"You do? It's still quite far."

Kiba pulled a hand out of his pocket to rub the back of his neck. He felt so _awkward_. Him and Temari didn't usually talk at all, and after what happened...this was uncomfortable for him. He only hoped Temari didn't notice his behaviour.

"Yeah...I had kind of a rough weekend and thought the fresh air might help me think about things." It wasn't a lie, not at all. It was also less than a half truth, but...that was more semantics than anything else.

Temari gave a soft nod then snapped her fingers. "You went to that party! Shika told me you spent the night after it because you were pretty drunk." She ended with a slight laugh. "He tried to play it off like he was fine, but...I could tell he was pretty hungover himself."

Kiba froze and felt the blood in his veins do the same. He let out a strained, nervous laugh. "Yeah, heh..." He felt Temari's eyes on him and he did his best to school his composure. "I still don't feel very good today. I drank way too much."

"Well, we all get there sometimes. And it looks like you did a little more than drink." She motioned to his neck and Kiba flushed, bringing a hand up to cover the bandage on his neck. Evidently it didn't hide things well enough.

"Ah, yeah...some guy marked me up pretty good." Another half-lie. Kiba was a little disgusted with himself for how easy it slipped out.

Temari gave him a sympathetic smile and her eyes lit up. "I might have some painkillers you can take if you’re still not feeling well, wait a second." She pulled her purse off her shoulder and began rifling through it. Kiba moved to protest, say he didn't need anything, but she didn't seem to hear him. All of a sudden Temari gasped. Kiba stared at her, confused.

"Oops." She said as she pulled out a USB and a mini blister pack of painkillers. "Crap...this is Shika's..." She murmured then looked at Kiba, realizing he could help her. She grabbed Kiba's hands and placed the USB and medicine in them. "Can you _please_ make sure Shikamaru gets this? It has an assignment of his on it."

Kiba immediately felt dread pool in his stomach at Temari's words. He still hadn't thought of how he was going to approach Shikamaru let alone what he was going to _say_ to him and now he was given a mission to return something to him. Great; absolutely _fantastic_ , really.

Kiba felt his hand begin to shake and he quickly tucked it into his pocket before Temari could notice. "Um...sure." He returned the relieved smile the blonde woman shot his way with a shaky one of his own.

"You're a _l_ _ife-saver_ Kiba, thank you."

Temari positioned her purse back on her shoulder and straightened down the front of her blazer. She looked very put-together and Kiba noticed her hair was in a high ponytail rather than her usual buns. Kiba took a glance behind them and noticed it was an architecture firm. His gaze was drawn back to Temari when she cleared her throat.

"I know we don't know each other very well, but," She crossed her arms suddenly, tapping her fingers on her forearm nervously. "Do I look okay for a job interview?" Kiba's stunned expression must have turned Temari off because she shook her head. "Never mind, I shouldn't have asked that."

"Ah...no! It's okay. You just caught me off guard." His lips quirked upwards in a half-smile. "You look really professional. Your suit is really um...nice?" He scratched his cheek. "Sorry, I don't know women's fashion really well but it looks good on you. Like a lawyer or something."

Temari observed him silently for a moment before smiling and blowing out a soft breath, her body visibly relaxing. "That's a relief, Kiba. Really. I asked Shikamaru how I looked but...you know how he is." She drew her eyebrows together and lowered her eyelids in a mockery of her boyfriend. "'Damn troublesome woman, you look fine'." She rolled her eyes. "He's really not the most helpful man in the world."

Kiba's smile grew a little strained. "Yeah...he's pretty troublesome himself."

Temari agreed with a laugh and moved a hand to run through her ponytail. "The only thing he really helped me with was this."

Kiba watched her. Her blonde hair slid through her fingers and a spot of sunlight peeked through the clouds, making her hair catch in it and shine. She was quite pretty, Kiba mused to himself. Her face shape was soft yet not at all childish; her nose was small, fitting perfectly between her delicately slanted teal eyes. Her mouth had a tasteful shade of pink on it and Kiba thought she had nice, plump lips.

It was made clear to Kiba all of a sudden why she was popular when they were in high school. Scratch what Kiba thought earlier; she was a beautiful woman. Kiba saw that Temari's cheeks were growing pink and he snapped himself out of staring at her. His cheeks grew pink as well.

"Er...sorry." He chuckled a little shakily and ruffled the back of his hair. "You look nice, but...can I?" He took a step to her and reached a hand out to her head. Temari looked at him and nodded after a second of hesitation.

"Sure?"

Kiba knew she probably meant it as a statement but it came out more like a question. Kiba took her hair out of it's holder and brought her bangs to the front of her face. He swept them off to the side and smoothed Temari's hair out before doing it back up into a ponytail, albeit lower than the one it had been in before.

"There!" He smiled as he stepped back.

Temari looked at him, stunned, and ran her fingers through her bangs. Kiba flushed at her look, suddenly realizing what he had done. Temari was something akin to an acquaintance to him and he had just redone her hair for her... _what the fuck_. Kiba's overly friendly nature had come out in that moment and now he felt extremely _odd_.

"Sorry, it just looked a little too tight and not really in your style..." His words faded out as Temari held a hand up and shook her head. Kiba watched as she reached into her purse and pulled out a compact. She flipped it open and stared at her reflection, a smile gracing her features as she was pleased at what she saw.

"It's fine. This looks really nice, Kiba." She snapped the compact shut with a 'snap!' and placed it back in her purse. "I was actually going to redo my hair anyways; it _was_ pretty tight." She shook her head and let out a laugh. "I think that's the only hairstyle he knows how to do." Kiba knew the 'he' Temari was referring to was Shikamaru and he chuckled.

"Yeah." He said in agreement and rocked back onto his heels, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Well...I should probably get going. I still have a long way to walk."

Temari nodded at that. "And I should get in there and rehearse what I'm going to say for the millionth time." She breathed out and a nervous giggle passed through her lips. Kiba smiled sympathetically.

"You'll do great." He said, truly meaning it. Temari was a very smart, charming woman (when she chose to be...she could also be quite harsh) and Kiba had no doubts she'd do well at her interview.

Temari straightened up at that, Kiba's words seeming to invigorate her. "Yeah...yeah, I _will_ do great." She grinned at Kiba and he found himself smiling back at her almost unconsciously. If Kiba had known she was so easy to talk to they probably would have been good friends long ago.

Though...judging on what he had done it was probably better they weren't overly close.

Kiba was bewildered when Temari suddenly hugged him and he barely reacted with a pat to her back before she pulled away. "Thank you, Kiba. You've helped a lot of my nervousness go away, and you even fixed my hair for me." Kiba looked down at her and gave a soft nod.

Temari gave a final smile and straightened her blouse out. "Take that medicine and remember to give the USB to Shika, okay?"

Kiba nodded again. "I will." He blew out a quiet sigh and gave Temari two thumbs-up. "And good luck!" Temari responded with a gracious smile before turning around and walking into the building.

Kiba watched her leave and shoved his hands in his pockets. He bit down on his lip when he felt the USB in his pocket, dreading having to give it to Shikamaru and knowing he would need to do it right away in case he needed the assignment on it for sometime in the morning.

He took a deep breath and resumed his walk to his university. On his walk he thought about his interaction with Temari and just how _easy_ he had found it to talk to the woman. She was much more amicable now than when they were younger and if anything it made the guilt Kiba was feeling grow ever larger; she was so unaware of what had transpired and he knew when she found out she was going to be _devastated_. Kiba found himself cursing himself for the umpteenth time and wished the world would open up under him and swallow him down, capturing him in the dirt of the Earth and letting him _rot_.

All of a sudden Kiba felt wetness on his cheek and he looked to the sky, groaning as it started to rain. He hoped it wouldn't be too much because he still had so far to walk and he did _not_ want to arrive at university soaked through his clothes.

Honestly...what a way to start the week off.

* * *

Apparently the Gods' were out to get Kiba _specifically_ because after the initial sprinkling of rain he was caught in things turned up and it started raining buckets. He had walked as fast as he could for about ten blocks and decided to just start _sprinting_ when he saw his school come into view so now he was soaked, tired, and very grumpy. He shook his head when he got inside his university, water flying out of his hair and splattering a freshman. She let out an irritated squawk and shot Kiba with a glare before huffing and stepping away from him. Kiba called out an amused 'sorry' at her back as she walked away.

Kiba had initially planned to study when he got to school as he didn't have any classes until later on in the morning, but now all he wanted to do was go home and sleep. He should have tried to sleep in, he thought with a hint of bitterness; at least then he would have gotten some rest and he probably wouldn't have encountered Temari. At remembering the blonde woman he groaned internally. He had to find Shikamaru and give the USB to him. He didn't want to; he really, _really_ didn't want to but he knew he needed to.

With a sigh and a drag of his hand through his wet hair he started walking to the library. Kiba figured he'd start there as Shikamaru liked to sleep in the quiet environment (lazy ass) and it would be the place he would most likely be in.

Kiba quickly made his way to his destination, glad not many people were milling about yet as he felt he looked like a wet dog. He could feel his hair dripping onto his shoulders and he hated the way his wet clothing felt on him. Kiba’s jacket was nearly entirely soaked and the faux fur around the hood held a lot more water than he thought it could. Kiba found himself wishing he had an extra set of clothes to change into, but knowing he’d just need to suck it up for the time being. 

Kiba sighed as he pushed open the doors to the library and looked around. He spotted Chouji at a table and walked over to him, hoping he might know where Shikamaru was as the two were often together.

“Chouji!” He called out to his friend and gave a slight wave when Chouji turned to look at him. Chouji smiled and reached a fist out to bump against Kiba’s when the man stopped beside the table.

Chouji took in the appearance of his friend, the dripping hair, the soaked jacket, and the all-around grouchy look on his face, and gave a sympathetic look. “Hey. Rough morning?”

Kiba chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. “You could say that, yeah.”

“I guess you got caught in the storm, huh. Got a spare change of clothes or something?”

“I wish, but no.”

Chouji watched as his friend shivered, and he frowned. Kiba looked _miserable_. Chouji stood up. “It might be big on you, but,” Chouji took off his hoodie and held it out to Kiba. “You can wear this if you want.”

Kiba looked at the offered hoodie then back at his friend. “Are you sure? I might get it wet.”

Chouji smiled and shook his head. “It’s fine, just take it.”

Kiba hesitated a moment then graciously took the offered clothing and smiled at Chouji. "Thanks for this, man. I'll get it to you later. Also, uh…” Kiba averted his eyes from Chouji and shuffled his feet nervously. “Do you know where Shika is? I have something to give him.”

Chouji raised a brow at his friend's sudden change in demeanour and gave a slight nod. “He’s in here somewhere. Probably trying to smoke out of one of the windows in the back. If you want you can leave whatever you need to give him with me and I can get it to him.”

Kiba shook his head frantically then blushed when he realized that might have been a bit strange of an action. “No, it’s fine. I’ll just, um, go find him then!” Kiba gave an odd half-wave to Chouji before he turned and began walking to the back. 

Kiba chided himself internally at his sudden change in behaviour and weird parting from Chouji. Another shiver ran through Kiba and he was reminded of the fact that he was still wearing his wet jacket. He quickly ducked in between two sets of bookshelves to change, setting his backpack and Chouji’s hoodie on the ground. The bookshelves ran floor to ceiling and he was in a wall aisle so they gave him ample cover. It’s not that he particularly _needed_ to hide because the library was pretty dead, but the shirt he had on under his jacket didn’t cover much of his upper neck and he did _not_ want anyone to see how marked up he was. It made him feel rotten to remember how out of control he had gotten with Shikamaru. Kiba reached a finger up to rub over the bandage on his neck and he sighed. He shook his head and began trying to get his jacket off but he couldn’t; the zipper was stuck. He’d have to remove it over his head, then. Kiba struggled to get his jacket off, nearly fighting with the fabric and finally, _finally_ , he got it up over his head. Then, he was interrupted.

"Kiba?"

Said man froze in place. His jacket was stuck on his hands and he hastily pulled them out, the coat falling at his feet. His heart had begun thumping wildly against his rib cage from the mere call of his name from the person he had been afraid to see all morning.

"Shikamaru..." He breathed out and shivered; his shirt had ridden halfway up his torso when he took his jacket off and he realized most of his chest was now exposed. He grabbed the hem of his shirt and quickly tugged it down. It wasn't lost on him the way Shikamaru had been staring at his exposed skin, brief as it had been. He watched as the man in front of him coughed into his hand and averted his gaze. He wasn't positive but he thought he might have noticed a faint blush high on his cheekbones, too. It must have been a trick of the crappy fluorescent lights of the library because when Shikamaru looked back at Kiba his face was devoid of any rouge colour.

Kiba drew his bottom lip into his mouth and picked Chouji's hoodie up from the ground; he distracted himself by running his thumbs over the stitching of their universities logo on it. A silence stretched between them and was broken when Shikamaru took a few steps closer to Kiba, his feet shuffling over the carpeted floor. They were now both deeper in between the rows of bookshelves, the floor to ceiling shelves almost giving Kiba a claustrophobic feel.

Or maybe that was just because he was feeling panic suddenly, he wasn't sure.

Kiba forced a half-smile, half-grimace on his face as he looked at the other man. "So, uh-" He was cut off when Shikamaru spoke which was good because he had no idea where he was going with his statement. What was he going to do, make small talk? Yeah, as if that would go over well.

"What are you doing undressing in the back of the library?"

Kiba felt himself flounder at that and looked back at the hoodie in his hands. "I'm not...I wasn't _undressing,_ I - okay well I _was,_ but...this is _Chouji's_ hoodie." He rushed out all in one breath and at Shikamaru's puzzled look knew he had cleared precisely _nothing_ up. "It's..." He let out a loud groan and tugged the hoodie on. His head popped out a second later and he straightened the garment over himself. It was comfortably warm and smelled nice, but was longer on him than he thought it would be - it reached to his mid thighs - and he noticed with bemusement that it gave him fucking _sweater paws_.

Oh...if that's not the absolute _pinnacle_ of fashion.

He drew his hand through his damp hair again, mussing is up more than it already had been, and crossed his arms over his chest. He barely managed to contain a grin when he noticed Shikamaru give a slight smirk at his look, but the other man quickly covered it up by clearing his throat.

"I got caught in the rain my way here, and..." He shrugged. The other man uttered a small 'hm' at that, and Kiba found some of his anxiety at seeing the other man returning. For a moment it seemed to have died down, crept away, but now it was climbing back into his throat and he felt it might suffocate him.

He needed to say something...but he also needed to be careful. Though, he thought, what _was_ careful anymore? Did they need to mince words between them? They were both mature adults (relatively...more on Shikamaru's part than on Kiba's) who should be able to talk about things rationally.

But that's in theory. Things in practise were much different.

Although...they _were_ in this predicament because neither of them had thought things out so why not just throw caution to the wind and say whatever he wanted, right? That's what Kiba was thinking, anyways.

"So, um...about what happene-" He was cut off again by the other man, and he felt his stomach give a painful lurch at his words.

"Nothing happened."

Kiba frowned. "Shika, you're not exactly the kinda person who can play dumb, you know that right?" Kiba looked at the other and agitation washed over him at the blank look he saw on the other man's face. It was the same look he got when he saw Shikamaru that morning through his car's side mirror and before that look had made him upset; now though, it was making him angry. "Yes something _did_ happen! You and I both know it did; you can't try and play this game with me." He advanced a few steps and glowered up the couple of inches shorter he was than Shikamaru.

Shikamaru looked at Kiba and muttered out a low 'troublesome' as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "Look, Kiba," Shikamaru paused, seeming to try and find the right words to say. "Something..." He sighed. "Something did happen but it doesn't change anything. Okay?"

Kiba tried to ignore the way those words twisted his stomach further and he pulled back from the other, feeling utterly _offended_ at the offhand nature Shikamaru was talking about things.

"You..." He began to say before shaking his head and reaching into his backpack. He had moved Shikamaru's USB there when it began to rain as he was worried it could have gotten wet and ruined through his pockets.

Now though, he wished he would have run the risk. It would have served Shikamaru right.

"Here." He held it out to the other; Shikamaru's eyebrows drew together in bewilderment.

"How did you get this? Temari had it."

Kiba felt his lips twitch, a selfish smirk forming on his face before he quickly willed it away. "She did. I talked to her this morning before coming here. You saw me, you should have figured it would happen." Kiba watched as Shikamaru stiffened at his words and inwardly he laughed at the ashen look that befell his features.

Shikamaru cursed and quickly took the USB from Kiba's hand. He shoved it into his pants pocket and looked callously at Kiba. There was an edge to his face Kiba wasn't used to seeing and it was a little bit frightening. He had only seen Shikamaru mad on a couple of occasions and it was always a sight to see since it took so _much_ to rile him up. He didn’t like this look directed at him; not one bit.

"Did you..." Shikamaru suddenly let out a sigh, the cruel look on his face falling away to make way for a tired expression. "Did you mention anything to her?"

Kiba felt the urge to push Shikamaru. There was a sadistic thought telling him to see just how _far_ he could take things and it was quickly shoving realistic thought out of the way because...honestly? Shikamaru was getting on his _damn_ nerves. Maybe a little shove was all he needed.

Kiba just hoped he didn't end up falling off the cliff with him.

"Don't look so _scared_ , Shika." Kiba advanced the few steps left between them and gripped Shikamaru's chin harshly, leaning up into the other teasingly. "If nothing happened between us then what would I have to tell her?" The second the words left Kiba's lips he knew that was entirely the wrong thing to say for the harsh look Shikamaru had earlier came back full force.

Kiba hissed when Shikamaru shoved him against the bookcase; a larger book that's spine was protruding beyond the edge of the shelf pressing into the back of his neck at the action.

"Ouch! _Dammit_ , Shika." He grit out and shifted his gaze to look at the other, drawing his head back reflexively when he noticed Shikamaru had his face _very_ close to his. "That _hurt_ you jackass."

Shikamaru placed his hands on Kiba's shoulders, pinning him to the shelf. Kiba winced at that, the book pressing into his neck more.

" _Now_ who's playing games, Kiba?" Shikamaru glared down at the other, a dark look looming over his face.

Kiba narrowed his eyes, glaring back at Shikamaru with the same intensity. "I'm not playing anything, Shika. You said nothing happened, so then there's nothing I could have told Temari, is there?" He sucked in a breath when Shikamaru curled his fingers over his shoulders, gripping them tighter.

"Kiba." His name was practically hissed out and he _hated_ the way it sounded; it was incredibly snake like and very ill-sounding coming from his normally calm friend. Could he even call Shikamaru a friend anymore? He wasn't sure. Gosh...that thought _hurt_.

Shikamaru leaned down, face hovering just bare centimetres in front of Kiba's. "You are to say _nothing_ to Temari about what happened, got it?" He bit out, voice just barely above a whisper.

Anger bubbled up in Kiba and he reached a hand up, clenching the front of Shikamaru’s sweater in his hand and tugging him down closer. A sheet of paper would have a hard time fitting between their faces, they were so close.

"You can't tell me what to do, Nara." Kiba noticed the way Shikamaru faltered at the use of his last name and felt a sick sense of pride at the other's reaction. "If I want to tell her, then I'll tell her." His gaze bore into Shikamaru's and he desperately tried to not let the hurt he felt shine through his eyes, hoping it was only anger Shikamaru saw.

Shikamaru stared daggers back at the other before he let out a low, throaty growl and pitched himself forwards. Kiba was floored when he felt Shikamaru take his lips in a bruising kiss but he quickly melted into it when the other slicked his tongue into his mouth. The hand he had clenched in Shikamaru's sweater gripped onto it harder and he tugged him closer to him. His eyes fluttered closed and he let out a quiet, pleased moan and the feel of Shikamaru's lips on his. He felt the chuckle that moved through Shikamaru's chest at Kiba's sound of pleasure and he nipped a teasing bite over the other man's lips at it. Shikamaru jerked at Kiba's bite and he ended up nudging him against the bookcase, his hold on him tightening.

...and then there was that damned book again, pressing into his neck as Shikamaru's grip turned to a squeeze on his shoulders and his body weighed down against Kiba's.

Fast as a bolt of lightning, Kiba pulled back from the kiss and looked at Shikamaru with wide eyes. They were both breathing heavy, breath mingling and tainting the space between them with an oppressively torrid air.

Shikamaru was looking at him with half-lidded eyes and at the others heated gaze Kiba felt as though he was back in bed with him, swapping passionate moans and fiery touches with the other man. Kiba's lips suddenly felt very dry and he snuck his tongue out to lick over them, his every move being intently watched by Shikamaru. His hand clenched and unclenched in the front of Shikamaru's shirt spasmodically; he felt unable to contain his movements and seemingly on its own accord his hand shot into Shikamaru's hair, pulling him down with a sharp tug and reconnecting their lips.

There was a low groan between them that Kiba couldn't discern _which_ of them made it but it sent a shock of heat through his veins all the same. Kiba was distantly conscious of what they were doing; that it was wrong, that they _shouldn't_ be doing it no matter what, but...he didn't feel as thought he could stop things, couldn't stop the way Shikamaru was once again taking over his senses and turning him into an absolutely unscrupulous _mess_. Kiba isn't sure just _when_ or _why_ he turned into this depraved person but if Shikamaru kept kissing him the way he was he didn't think he'd care for much longer.

And, oh...kiss him Shikamaru would.

Kiba soon found his hand venturing further up the back of Shikamaru's head, burrowing in his hair and _tugging_. There was another deep groan but this time Kiba knew it wasn't from him; the sound reverberated through his mouth and sent his nerve endings aflame. He was devastatingly aware of the way both him and Shikamaru were reacting; he could feel a pressure against his pelvis that hadn't been there mere minutes ago and he felt his own pants had grown ever so slightly tighter as well. There was a badgering idea reminding him that _they were in the universities library and they were practically dry-humping each other and oh yeah there was the whole issue of **Shikamaru still being in a relationship**_ but Kiba's libido was doing it's best to stomp on that part of his brain.

The way Shikamaru was kissing him was absolutely not making things easier either. The man seemed to know _just_ how to make Kiba's knees grow weak and it was becoming an issue. Shikamaru's tongue was so _hot_ against his, and every so often he'd pull back enough to nibble at his lips and Kiba was losing himself into it. Their surroundings were becoming a blur around him and the only thing grounding him was Shikamaru's touch; the man had since moved his hands from his shoulders, one now cupping the back of his neck and the other firmly gripping his waist. Kiba could practically imagine them frotting against one another against the bookshelves.

Then Shikamaru canted his hips downwards at the same time as he ran his tongue along the roof of Kiba's mouth, and Kiba let out an absolutely shameful moan that was quickly swallowed up by Shikamaru. However the sound was enough to pull Kiba back to reality. He wrenched his head back from the other but Shikamaru's hand on the back of his neck kept him from slamming his head into the books behind him; Kiba was glad because that probably would have _stung_.

Kiba closed his eyes, taking in deep breaths and attempting to still his rapidly racing heart. His blood felt as though it was searing it's way through his body and it was taking all of Kiba's effort to try and quell the flames of passion that were quickly growing. After he had somewhat steadied his breathing he opened his eyes and felt all the breath rush back out of him at the intense way Shikamaru was staring at him. The look was familiar to Kiba; it was the same look he had the night they spent together and it sent a tingle up his spine. He exhaled out a shuddering breath when Shikamaru's hand moved from the back of his neck to cup his cheek. It was an oddly tender action compared to what they had just been doing not a minute prior and Kiba felt himself relaxing into the touch. There were a few moments that transpired between them where they simply stared at one another and Kiba noticed that Shikamaru almost seemed to be entranced by him. There was just this _look_ in his eyes Kiba couldn't exactly pinpoint. If he had to guess however it seemed to be floating somewhere in the area between lust and corrupted wonderment; a strange combination of wanting to fuck the man he was pinning to the bookshelves while simultaneously not wanting to admit he felt that way.

That might have been a bit too specific; maybe Kiba intrinsically knew more than he thought he did.

Kiba opened his mouth to say something though and that seemed to spark something in Shikamaru because he surged forwards before Kiba could make a sound. The fire from before came back ten-fold and Kiba let out something between a whimper and a moan. This time though felt...wrong. It felt so horrible and utterly _sinful_ and not in a way Kiba wanted. Maybe it was because he had some of his senses come back to him, maybe it was because Shikamaru was being a little too _rough_ now, biting into Kiba's lips and nipping at his tongue, but whatever it was Kiba no longer felt as amorous now as he did before.

Letting out a low moan Kiba pulled Shikamaru back from him by his hair and moved his free hand up from where it was gripping Shikamaru's hip (when he grabbed there he wasn't entirely sure) to press at his chest firmly. He could feel Shikamaru's chest heaving under his hand, felt his heart hammering against his rib cage and the tips of Kiba's fingers curled marginally inwards against the fabric of Shikamaru's shirt. He was doing his best to quiet down the thumping of his own heart and he found himself unable to look at Shikamaru for the time being, but he could feel the others eyes on him.

"Shika, what-" His voice was gravelly and he stopped himself mid-sentence to clear his throat. "What was _that_?" A sharp exhale sounded above him and he dragged his gaze from the floor up to Shikamaru's face.

"I could ask you the same thing." Shikamaru’s voice was low, gruff, and tinted with arousal. A tingle crept up Kiba's spine at the sound and he felt it take any smart retort he had right out of his mouth.

Kiba bit down on the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood. "You started it." It wasn't as wise a statement as Kiba wanted to make but it's all he could come up with seeing as how muddled up his mind currently was. There was a brief pause between them before Shikamaru exhaled a short, bitter chuckle.

"You didn't seem to object."

Kiba's mouth opened and closed a few times, words seeming to fail him. He couldn't exactly find a way to rebut that, really, but that wasn't his biggest problem with talking; that was caused by Shikamaru settling his face _right in front of his_ again. The hand gripping Shikamaru's shirt clutched at the fabric tighter and Kiba drew in a deep breath.

"That..." Kiba stared at the other. If Kiba ever said he didn't like the blank looks Shikamaru had from before he took it all back; he'd rather have that than this overly heated gaze he was the victim of now. It was making it hard to _think_ let alone speak. There were far too many thoughts racing through his head and none of them would stay still long enough for him to pick any out.

"That...what? Cat got your tongue?" There was a teasing edge to Shikamaru's voice and it peeved Kiba off. Where did Shikamaru get off thinking he could be so _cocky_? Also what the _fuck_ happened to the Shikamaru from before who said nothing happened between them?

Kiba took in a steadying breath. "Fuck _you,_ Shika." He narrowed his eyes at the other man. "You know exactly what you're doing to me, don't you?" Kiba scoffed when Shikamaru merely rolled his eyes at him in response. "You're the one who tried to say nothing happened between us in the first place..." He muttered out and tried to meld himself into the books behind him when Shikamaru loomed over him.

Those extra couple inches Shikamaru had on him were becoming _quite_ the inconvenience.

Kiba could feel Shikamaru's hands squeezing and relaxing against where he was holding him and it made him feel _slightly_ better as it made him realize the other was almost as rattled as he was. To Kiba that meant Shikamaru was being affected by... _whatever_ the hell was going on between them and it sparked a small sense of hope in him that maybe, however slim, there was a _chance_ at something developing between them.

Which Kiba knew was entirely fucked up all things considered but _damn_ if he didn't love the man in front of him.

"A kiss doesn't mean anything either."

Oh if _only_ Shikamaru wouldn't dash those hopes in a split-second.

"A...A _kiss_?!" Kiba's voice was shrill though he tried his _best_ to make it still a whisper. " _This_ ," Kiba moved his hand from where it was on Shikamaru's chest to gesture vaguely between the two of them. "Was not just a fucking _kiss_. You got...we _both_ got hard." A faint blush bloomed over Kiba's cheeks at his words but he continued. "I half expected you to turn me around and fuck me against the books."

Shikamaru snorted at him in response. "As if you would have stopped me if I tried."

Shikamaru's words shot a flash of anguish through him and he couldn't keep the hurt expression from displaying on his features. Shikamaru must have noticed as his grip on Kiba tightened; the shorter of the two having begun trying to push Shikamaru off of him after his statement.

"Wait-" Shikamaru began, but was quickly silenced when Kiba shot a glare his way.

" _Don't_." Kiba spat out, his tone rancorous. It betrayed his hurt expression, but it made the anger in his voice more biting; Shikamaru's heart stuttered.

Shikamaru really hadn't thought his words out carefully enough.

Kiba managed to remove Shikamaru's hands from him and the taller of the two stumbled back a few steps when Kiba shoved him away from him. Kiba straightened out Chouji's hoodie on him then raked a hand through his hair. It was still damp, but no longer dripping.

"I didn't mean what I said _that_ way, Kiba."

Kiba looked at the other man, taking in the remorseful look on his face, and felt some of his anger melt away. What Shikamaru said still hurt, but...it was a little reassuring to know it wasn't meant how he thought it was. Kiba stared at him a moment before walking to his jacket and backpack. He balled up the fabric and shoved it into his bag; it wouldn't dry that way, but Kiba didn't care about that right now.

" _Kiba_." His name sounded _exasperated_ coming from Shikamaru's mouth and he glanced at the other as he swung his backpack over his shoulders. Shikamaru reached a hand out to touch his face and Kiba looked away. He tugged at a chunk of his bangs absentmindedly, biting at the corner of his lips. Shikamaru sighed and dropped his hand.

A stillness settled between them and Kiba began to feel antsy. Some of Kiba's anger had faded away and had been replaced by a dull hurt thrumming through his body; he could feel himself beginning to feel vulnerable and he needed to get away.

He brushed past Shikamaru without a word and thought he had successfully gotten away from the other when he felt a hand enclose his wrist. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before spinning around and, tugging Shikamaru down to his height, placing his lips beside his ear.

"Good luck trying to keep saying nothing happened between us." Kiba spoke softly, a lilt to his voice. He moved to pull back when a sudden rush of coquettishness ran through him. Kiba left a chaste kiss on Shikamaru's neck before tugging his wrist out of his hold; it was pretty easy as Shikamaru's grip had grown slack.

Kiba chanced a look at the other, barely managing to shove a smile down at his astonished expression. He turned around without further words to Shikamaru and made his way out of the library. He passed Chouji on his way out, waving and thanking him again for lending him his hoodie as he did so.

Once out of the library he made his way to his first class of the day. It wasn't time for it yet, but Kiba hoped the room would be open so he could just be _alone_ for a while. So much had happened and it was still morning. On a Monday. Fuck.

If grateful for nothing else, Kiba was mostly happy he didn't have a boner anymore. _That_ would have truly been the cherry on top of this morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again im so sorry about this chap taking so long i feel so bad about it T~T
> 
> please do give kudos and comments though if you feel so inclined 💖💖💖


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sns in this: impeccable communication, reassure each other all the time, constant i love yous, put in effort to have the best relationship they can, want each other to be the best version of themselves, all around best boys  
> shikakiba in this: idiot bastards causing problems just for the hell of it <3
> 
> AND im sorry i know i said this would be up in a few days but depression is still kicking my ass and i am losing my MIND over it oh my goooood im so sick of myself :’) i also decided to add another scene so this chap is vvv long which might make up for my hectic way of updating?? idk...idk!
> 
> anyways,,,i hope yall like this chap 💖💖
> 
> tw: mentions of depression and self-harm

Kiba had had about 20 minutes to himself in his classroom after his professor had let him in and took stock of his appearance. He imagined he looked quite the sight; his wet hair, two sizes too big sweater, and general mood of discontent not doing anything but making him look rundown. His professor - a kind yet stern woman in her mid-40's - had given him a pitying look and left him alone when he slumped down in his seat. He had always liked this professor in particular but today he found himself thanking his lucky stars for having someone who would give him a place to rest. Even when class began she was still kind to him, motioning for a student near him to rouse him so he could pay attention.

Despite that, his first class had gone by mostly in a blur (he thanked the classmate who woke him for copying her notes for him) and seemed to end before it ever started. He could hardly remember anything that his professor had said and only registered class was over when other students started packing up. The rest of the day seemed to pass by in much of the same manner. Any energy he had in the morning - including that burst of flirtation that rose up when he left Shikamaru in the library, wherever the fuck _that_ came from - had left him and he felt more drained than he could remember feeling in a long time. It's as if being with Shikamaru had detached him from his spirit and he was left on his own, struggling to feel himself. Kiba detested the way his emotions were oscillating so wildly; it was nearly giving him whiplash.

Kiba let out a loud sigh as he made his way out of his university. It was the end of his day now and he sighed as the mid-afternoon sun washed over his features. He rested his back against a tree and closed his eyes, taking in the freshness of the air and warmth of the sunlight. For a moment he let himself simply _be_ ; let all his thoughts blow away on the same zephyr that was tousling his hair. It felt nice to be like this, he thought.

Then there was the chatter that accompanied a group of people passing by him and the moment was broken. Kiba cracked his eyes open halfway and stared up at the unbroken blue sky above him. The storm from this morning has segued nicely from torrent to brilliant spring warmth and Kiba couldn't believe his misfortune that he'd gotten caught in the brunt of it. Though with how things had been going lately he shouldn't have been all that surprised.

A yell sounded off to his side and Kiba barely had time to react before a force crashed into him and he fell to the ground. He gave a yelp of his own and tumbled with the person, coming to rest a few feet away from the tree with the person perched on his lap. Kiba grunted and propped himself up on his elbows, shooting an annoyed look at the man on top of him.

"Naruto... _why_?"

The blond grinned and held Kiba's jacket out to him. "This is all dry now."

Kiba stared at him a moment and quirked a brow. "And you couldn't oh, I don't know, _give it to me like a normal person_? You needed to jump me?"

Naruto shrugged. "Where's the fun in being normal?"

Kiba merely said nothing and rolled his eyes. He took his jacket from Naruto when the blond shook it in front of his face. He had met up with Naruto at lunch and the blond had agreed to take Kiba's jacket with him for the afternoon, having it air dry as the blond played basketball with some friends of his. Kiba gave a soft hum as he held the fabric in his hands; it was still warm and he noticed it smelled faintly of sunlight.

Naruto rolled off his lap and settled down beside him. The blond let out an exaggerated sigh and looked at his friend. He stared at him a moment, then reached up and flicked his nose. "You look strange."

Kiba scrunched his nose up and laid down beside him. "No I don't."

Naruto rolled his eyes and watched his friend as he balled up his freshly dried coat and placed it under his head. "Kiba, I can read you like a book."

Kiba snorted. "Funny. I didn't know you could read." He chuckled when Naruto puffed out an annoyed breath.

"Jerk!" Naruto rolled himself onto his stomach, propping himself up on his elbows and placing his chin on his hands. "Keep insulting me and I'll drop you as a friend, just you watch."

Kiba waved him off and closed his eyes. "As if." The two fell silent but Kiba could feel Naruto watching him. He cracked his eyes open slightly and sighed when he noticed the blond's blue eyes searching his features. "Oh my god, _what_?"

"Just...I don't know. Something about you seems off. You looked weird earlier, too, when I saw you at lunch. Is it about Shika?"

Kiba made a noncommittal sound and began to scratch at the grass beneath his fingers. He closed his eyes again, not wanting to see Naruto's concerned expression. The blond had always been able to tell his mood fairly well, but it seemed like lately he was able to zero in on things more easily. It was disconcerting to Kiba because was he that able to be read by everyone else? Would his other friends be able to sense his inner turmoil just by looking at him? Kiba hoped not.

Kiba finally gave a soft nod. "Yeah..." He whispered and felt Naruto scoot closer to him. He could feel the blond's body heat and it assuaged his anxiety a bit; Naruto’s presence always filled him with warmth.

"Did you see him today? I ran into him this morning and he looked kinda...rattled?" It came out more as a question than a statement. "It's what you look like now."

Kiba took in Naruto's words and ran them over in his mind. He supposed Shikamaru _would_ look a little odd, if their...ahem, _meeting_ in the library was anything to go by. Kiba felt his heart rate speed up at remembering their encounter that morning. He cleared his throat.

"Huh. I wonder why he'd look that way." Kiba inwardly winced at his words. He was a _really_ bad liar when it came to his blond friend and he knew he'd only confirmed Naruto's suspicions with his words.

"So you _did_ see him."

Kiba felt the blond prod a finger against his shoulder and he shifted away from his touch. "Yeah, well..." He brought a finger up to scratch his cheek. "You could say that."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at his friend. "You're being shady. Tell me what happened."

"Um...I plead the fifth?"

"Good try, but we live in _Canada_."

Kiba snorted out a short laugh and rolled onto his stomach. "You know what I mean..." He mumbled and placed his chin on the makeshift pillow he made out of his jacket. He encircled his arms around it and stared at the ground. There was a beetle climbing up a blade of grass in front of him and he watched it. Kiba suddenly wished he was that beetle; no human worries and only crawling through the tall grass as he made way through his life. That would be nice right about now.

Kiba felt as Naruto moved closer to him and rested his head against his back. The blond's hair tickled the back of his neck and he squirmed under him. He sighed; the grass the beetle was on swayed from his breath and he mentally apologized to the little bug.

"...don't judge me when I tell you, okay?" He felt Naruto nod, the blond's hair tickling him again. "So...I saw him in the library this morning. I tried to bring up what happened to him but he just said ' _nothing happened_ ', which made me angry because uh, _wrong_ , we fucking _slept_ together but he didn't really seem to care. I said something _did_ happen and he just kinda...agreed with me to shut me up, I guess? I dunno." Kiba pouted a bit. "Then I gave him a USB because...oh, did I tell you I talked to Temari earlier?" Above him Naruto shook his head. "Anyway. I saw Temari this morning and she gave me a USB he left with her to give him so I did...it's why I was looking for him."

"Kiba...how long is this story?"

Kiba reached an arm back to dig an elbow into Naruto's side. "I was _getting_ there; it's called setting the scene." He snickered at Naruto's whine, and continued. "He got all like...nervous looking and asked if I told her anything, and I said ' _what would I have to say if nothing happened between us?_ ', which made him a little angry. Then," Kiba felt his face heat up at what he was going to need to say next. "Then, he...um...kissed me?" He heard Naruto choke on a breath and he bit his lip. "Then I...I kind of kissed back and we _might_ have made out a _little_ bit...maybe." He felt as Naruto moved off of him to crawl in front of him, moving to sit cross-legged. He dragged his eyes from the ground and up to the surprised blue eyes of his best friend.

"Kiba...oh my god you _didn't_." Naruto breathed the words out all at once. Kiba waited a moment then nodded.

"I did. We fucking..." He averted his gaze, cheeks flushing. "We got _hard_." He whispered and covered his face with his hands. "I almost forgot where we were. I thought we were going to..." Kiba stopped suddenly, biting his tongue to keep himself from continuing. "Whatever." He moved his hands from in front of his face and fisted them in his hair. "Then we got into an argument, and...that was it."

In front of him, Naruto stared at him with a mixture of shock and pity. "Kiba..." The blond reached out and untangled Kiba's hands from where they were intertwined in his hair. He held them in his own and gave them a soft squeeze.

"I know...god, I'm such a _slut_."

Naruto frowned at that and squeezed Kiba's hands again. "What...no, you're not."

Kiba dragged his gaze up to look at his friend. "I could have had sex with Shikamaru in the _l_ _ibrary_ , Naruto. What _else_ would you call me? Whore? Tart? _Hussy_?" Kiba groaned and dropped his head to rest against his jacket. "Because I'm all of those things."

Naruto listened to what Kiba had to say and gave a loud sigh at the end of it all. "Kiba _stop_." He ran his thumbs over Kiba's knuckles in a soothing manner. "You aren't any of those things and even if you were, what would it matter? I mean," He rested his back against the tree they were sitting under. "That's not to say you _should_ have made out with Shikamaru in the library, but...you're being too hard on yourself." Naruto reached out to Kiba's face and tilted his head up by placing a finger under his chin and lifting it up. "I'm not going to let you bully yourself, okay?" He shot a reassuring smile at his friend.

Kiba stared at him and felt himself return a small smile. Naruto's smile grew and he moved his hands to pinch Kiba's cheeks. "Good boy!" He laughed as he stretched Kiba's cheeks, the brunet squawking and pulling back from his friend.

"My cheeks aren't that stretchy, jackass!"

Naruto said nothing and continued laughing, but his laughter trailed off into a yelp when Kiba jumped on him. The two rolled against the tree and stopped, Naruto ending up on his stomach pinned under his friend. He huffed and thrashed around trying to dislodge the brunet off of him. Kiba chuckled, Naruto's actions barely moving him at all.

"Give up, Naru?"

Naruto looked at him over his shoulder and stuck his tongue out at him. "You're bigger than me! This is _hardly_ fair."

Kiba let out a soft hum and made a show of looking at his nails. "We used to wrestle like this all the time. Besides, I'm only a little bigger than you." He grinned when Naruto simply glared at him over his shoulder and looked up when someone walked up to them. It was a very impassive looking Sasuke; the man had his arms crossed across his chest and was looking at Naruto and Kiba dryly.

"Not true, you have a _dump truck_ of an ass, Kiba, plus you're like... _curvy_. You're so much bigger than me!"

Sasuke raised his eyebrows at that, his eyes widening. Kiba fell into loud laughter, rolling off his friend and landing beside him. Sasuke looked so comically shocked, and it was too much for Kiba to handle.

"Kiba has a _what_ , Naruto?"

Naruto's head whipped to the side to look at his boyfriend and he too fell into laughter at his boyfriend's expression. "Sa-ha...Sasuke!" His body shook with laughter and he clutched at his sides as he rolled onto his back. "You should see your _face_!" Naruto rolled against Kiba; the two were practically consumed by laughter and their mirth was filling the air around them.

Sasuke stared at the two, incredulous, but a slight smile soon cracked his features. He cleared his throat, chasing the smile away before either of the two men could see it, and walked to his boyfriend. He crouched down near him and poked his cheek. "Oi." He poked it again when Naruto kept laughing. " _Idiot_."

Naruto looked at his boyfriend, still laughing, and wiped away tears of joy that had begun running down his cheeks. "Sorry teme, you just...you looked so fucking _funny_." He looked at his boyfriend, brilliant blue eyes sparkling with amusement.

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before leaning down and kissing his forehead. "I'm glad my face is amusing to you." He murmured and stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets and looking at Naruto and Kiba. "You two ready for study group, or are you going to laugh the rest of the afternoon away?"

The two men's laughter dissolved into sparse chuckles and Kiba ran a hand through his hair. He stood up and stretched his arms over his head, grunting and his legs nearly buckling when Naruto grabbed onto his pants to pull himself up. " _Dude_." He looked at the blonde, slightly irked, but the blond simply blew him a kiss in response and bounced to his boyfriend. He hooked an arm into Sasuke's and looked at Kiba innocently.

"What?"

Kiba snorted. "You're so weird. Anyway, you guys can go on without me first. I'm going to give this," He tugged at the edge of the hoodie he was wearing. "Back to Chouji and try to talk to Shika again."

Naruto watched him and nodded. "Okay..." He narrowed his eyes slightly. "Just _talk_ this time."

Kiba flushed at the look Sasuke shot him and gave a sheepish smile. "...I will." His answer was slightly hesitant and Kiba felt himself glad he didn't tell Naruto that he teased Shikamaru earlier before leaving him in the library. Naruto didn't need to know _everything_.

Naruto gave a soft nod, apparently finding Kiba's answer to suffice, and laughed as he suddenly seemed to notice how Chouji's hoodie looked on Kiba. "Wow...a boyfriend hoodie _and_ sweater paws. Aren't you just _adorable_."

Kiba snorted and rolled his eyes as he took the larger piece of clothing off, throwing it at Naruto's head afterwards. "Oh shut up. As if you don't wear Sasuke's clothes around the house constantly."

Naruto hummed in reply and threw the hoodie back at Kiba. "That's _different_ because he's my boyfriend. Plus Sasuke likes it when I wear his stuff, don't you?" He shot a grin at his boyfriend after pecking his cheek. Sasuke grunted in response.

Kiba fake gagged at them. " _Gross_."

"You always call us gross but I know you're just jealous. Meet us in the library when you're done?"

Kiba nodded in response and Naruto and Sasuke turned to walk away. He suddenly remembered something and hollered after his friends. "By the way Naruto, I am _not_ curvy! I'm a _man_!"

Naruto didn't grace him with an answer; only tossed his head back and laughed.

* * *

Laying under his favourite oak tree and trying to get some rest was Shikamaru, and it _almost_ worked but then Ino had decided to ruin his peace.

“There’s my favourite sloth!” The blonde said with a laugh as she sat down beside Shikamaru. Chouji was with her and followed suit, sitting beside her.

Shikamaru sighed and glanced at them before closing his eyes. “Can I help you, Ino?”

“Jeez...frigid, much?” Shikamaru swatted her hand away as Ino tugged on his ear. “Sor- _ry_ for being worried after not seeing you all day. Especially after the weekend you had.”

“Watch it, Chouji’s here.”

There was silence between them and Shikamaru opened his eyes. “Ino…” Her name came out as a warning and Ino laughed nervously.

“So, um...he found out…” Ino let out another nervous laugh and picked at the grass, pointedly not looking at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru sighed, clearly exasperated, and shot a tired glare Ino’s way. “Ino...I believe you promised me that you wouldn’t tell anyone what happened. Even Chouji. No offence.” He directed the last part at Chouji and the other man shrugged.

“No worries.” He said.

Ino smiled apologetically. “I forgot to delete the picture of your back and it was still open on my phone... Chouji opened my phone to see something, and, well..." She held her hands up in a wordless way of saying _not my fault_.

Shikamaru stared at her before rolling his eyes. “I should’ve known you couldn’t keep this a secret. Troublesome woman.” He folded his arms under his head.

Ino flicked his forehead with her finger, snickering as he grunted and swatted her away. “It’s just Chouji. It’s not like he’s a gossip.”

“Unlike you.”

Ino let out a hum and leaned back on her arms beside Shikamaru. They sat in silence for a while until Chouji grabbed a bag of chips, the material crinkling in his hands.

“Shika...I have to ask.” Shikamaru looked at Chouji. “If you wanted to experiment with a guy, did it need to be Kiba? I mean...he's our friend, you know? Couldn't you have just found some random guy?"

Shikamaru frowned and sat up. "'Experiment'? What are you talking about? I'm not some confused teenager trying to figure out if he likes guys or not, Chou." He narrowed his eyes, watching as his two friends shared a look. "What?" He crossed his arms.

With a sigh, Ino shook her head and looked back at Shikamaru. "Nothing, just...Shika, how long are you going to keep this up? This..." Ino gestured vaguely around them and let out an annoyed huff. " _Image_ you're putting on. We know you like men and we don't _care_ , okay? We want you to be happy. If you're happy with Temari that's fine, but," The blond reached a hand out to place on Shikamaru's arm, frowning when he moved away from her. "We don't think you're entirely happy like this. Right Chouji?" The man nodded beside her, eating a handful of chips.

"Right."

Shikamaru sighed and stood up. He brushed his pants off and looked at his friends with a blank expression. “You’re both wrong. This wasn't an experiment and I _don't_ like men. I don't know how many ways I need to say it for you guys to understand." He furrowed his brows. "And what do you mean you _know_?" He scoffed as the two shared another look. "Whatever, it doesn't matter. What _does_ matter is that what happened was a drunken mistake that meant _nothing_ , alright? If I could go back and not do it, I would. I’ve never regretted something more in my life and...Ino, _what_ are you doing?” The man let out an irritated sound and stared at his friend bemusedly. She had been waving her hands in a very inconspicuous way with a distressed look on her face. Shikamaru turned when Ino pointed behind him and he cursed silently.

_Kiba_.

The man stood a few feet behind the trio, Chouji's hoodie held in hands who's knuckles had turned white.

Shikamaru felt like the air had been taken out of his lungs and on instinct he reached out to wrap around Kiba’s wrist when the other quickly turned to walk away. “Kib-“ He was cut off when the other wrenched his arm out of his grip and spun around to look at him. Kiba's face was contorted in anger but there was such an underlying look of _hurt_ there as well.

"Don't...don't fucking _touch_ me." The Inuzuka spat out, venom coating his words. "You are an absolutely _unbelievable_ son of a bitch." Shikamaru bit down on his tongue then, knowing he deserved the words Kiba was saying to him. Kiba sniffled and fought down tears. There was a scratchy feeling in his throat and a prickling behind his eyes that was becoming much too familiar to him these last few days. Kiba shoved Shikamaru's hand away from him when the other man reached out to touch him again and he stepped back a few steps from him. "I said don't fucking _touch_ me!" His voice was near a scream. He felt like he was teetering between being hysteric and being absolutely _f_ _urious_ at the man in front of him. "You're disgusting, Nara."

Shikamaru visibly flinched at Kiba's words and opened his mouth to say something when suddenly Chouji's hoodie was covering his face. He moved the hoodie away in time to see Kiba stomping away from them, his hands clenched into fists by his side. Suddenly one of the hands moved up to wipe over Kiba's face and Shikamaru knew the other man was crying.

Remorse slammed into Shikamaru full force and all he wanted to do was run after Kiba and apologize but he didn't; instead he set his jaw and walked back to Ino and Chouji, letting the lent hoodie fall into his friends lap. His two friends stared at him, both looking equally tense. Shikamaru looked up when Ino scoffed. He watched as the blonde woman stood up, grabbing her bag and placing it on her shoulder. He frowned.

"Where are you going?"

Ino levelled him with an irate expression. "I'm going after Kiba to make sure he's okay since _you're_ too gutless to do it yourself. Did you not see how _hurt_ he was?" Ino didn't wait for a reply from her friend; she simply turned her nose up at him, huffed, and followed after Kiba.

Shikamaru watched her go much like he had done with Kiba before he let out a groan and fell back against the grass. Beside him, Chouji crumpled up his back of chips.

"You know we're still going to study with them today, right?"

Shikamaru looked at his friend in disbelief before he sighed and rubbed a hand over his forehead. "Motherfucker...how _troublesome_."

* * *

Kiba had made his way entirely out of view from where Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji could see him when he heard footsteps. A little part of him hoped it was Shikamaru, but he knew it wasn't; he heard Ino calling his name.

Kiba sighed and stopped suddenly, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. "Ino... _what_ do you want? No offence but I'm not really in the mood to talk right now." He heard the woman stop behind him and he ran his hands over his face.

Ino stared at the back of his head and nervously drummed her fingers against her thigh. "I just...I wanted to make sure you were okay, after what Shikamaru said." She offered a small smile when Kiba turned around to look at her, but then she gasped; there were tear tracks on his cheeks. "Oh no..." She murmured and grabbed her purse, opening it and rummaging through it. She retreated from it a few seconds later, a small package of tissues in her hand. She offered them to Kiba who made no move to grab them; he seemed to be lost in thought all of a sudden. Ino hesitated for a moment before walking forwards a few steps and placing them into his hand. "You're crying."

Kiba seemed shocked by her words and he moved his hands up to his cheeks. A frown overtook his features as he indeed felt wetness on his face. "I hadn't noticed..." He murmured as he began dabbing the tissues over his cheeks.

Ino watched him with a gentle smile. "Do you want to talk?" Her words were soft and the tone caught Kiba off guard; he'd never heard her voice sound like that towards him.

"Um...sure."

Ino nodded and walked with Kiba to a picnic table; they had entered a courtyard outside where students would commonly eat or do work when they had the time. They sat at a table across from one another and Kiba rested his backpack on the table, folding his arms over and resting his chin on top.

"So..." He cleared his throat; his voice always sounded so _weak_ after crying, even if it was only brief. "I'm guessing he told you about what happened?" At Ino's nod, Kiba sighed. "At this rate the whole world is going to find out." He muttered out and sniffled.

"Who did you tell?"

"Naruto, Sasuke, and Hinata."

Ino gave a nod at the information. It made sense to her; Naruto and Sasuke being his roommates and Hinata being his best friend it was obvious they would know.

"I didn't mean to, but Chouji found out too."

Kiba shot her a look and snorted when she only offered a guilty smile back at him. "Figures...you're a natural gossip. Even when you don't intend for it to happen you spill things to people." Kiba let out a hiss when Ino smacked the back of his head and a hand flew up to rub over the area. "Hey! I'm not _wrong_ you know."

Ino clicked her tongue at him. "Not wrong doesn't mean not _rude_."

Kiba glared at her then sighed. "...I guess that's fair."

Ino gave a hum of acknowledgement then once again began drumming her fingers against something; this time, the table. "I'm sorry for what Shika said back there. I don't think he really means it."

Kiba frowned at her words and lifted his head to look at her. She was staring at him steadily, not a trace of phoniness on her face. Though, that didn't mean she wasn't wrong; it just meant _she_ believed what she said. Kiba shrugged. "He sure _s_ _ounded_ like he meant it. I don't blame him either; he has a girlfriend anyways." The words caught in Kiba's throat and he bit down on his tongue to keep from crying again.

Ino watched him with sympathy and sighed. "Kiba..." Ino ran her words through her head, trying the figure out just _how_ to go about things. "I think Shikamaru is confused. Like...about if he likes guys or not. Or," Her brows furrowed at this and she looked at Kiba. "Or more like if he _can_ like guys. Does...does that make sense?"

Kiba knew exactly what she was trying to get across, of course; he'd gone through what she was talking about when he was younger and had felt the burgeoning feelings of his own sexuality creeping up on him. Initially, when he very _first_ thought he liked guys, he tried to shove it down, tried to push his thoughts away because how could he like guys? How could he, a boy, like other boys? It was a foreign thought to him and it made him feel all kinds of confused. It had taken him quite a while to come to terms with the fact that he did solely like men and there was no shame in that - having a good support system of friends, his mum, and sister being a huge help - but there was quite a while in the beginning once he realized his feelings where he hated himself. It was no easy thing to deal with and if that's what Shikamaru was currently going through...it was something Kiba could definitely sympathize with.

It would explain some things; Shikamaru's constantly changing attitude, for one, but it could also explain why he was being so forceful in his refusal of wanting to acknowledge anything happening between them. It was like he was trying to convince _himself_ of things more than anything else.

Kiba sighed and looked at Ino. "It does make sense, yeah." He gave a wry smile at her quick exhale and he played with a zipper on his backpack. "I went through it too, when I was younger. I think most queer people go through it, to some degree." His words were quiet and Ino listened to him intently. "It's like...straight is usually seen as the default sexuality, you know? It's treated as normal and everything else is different or weird or whatever...it really fucks with your head, especially when it’s drilled into our heads pretty much from birth. Heteronormativity is a _hell_ of a thing to grow up dealing with."

"I'm...I didn't know it was so difficult to grow up gay. I'm sorry you went through that." Ino replied, voice just as quiet as Kiba’s was.

Kiba shook his head. "A lot of straight people don’t know what we go through. And don't be sorry." He shrugged. "It's not really something to apologize for."

Ino reached a hand out to place over Kiba's lightly. Kiba looked at her hand then at her face. She looked worried.

"It sounds miserable though."

"It is, but...all you can really do is stand by and be supportive. It's a really internal, personal thing to deal with." Kiba pulled his hand out from under hers and stood up. "And if that's what Shika's going through," Kiba grabbed his backpack and placed it over his shoulders. "All you can do is reassure him that it's okay. He’s an adult now but that doesn’t mean it’ll be any easier to deal with." He looked at the blonde woman beside him.

Ino took in Kiba's words and gave a soft nod, going to stand beside him. "I'll always be supportive of him. And of you too...all of our friends, actually." She said softly and looked at Kiba. "And...regardless of what happens, I hope you don't get too hurt."

Kiba fell into step with Ino as they made their way to the library.

"It's already too late for that." He let out a soft, sad chuckle. " _Far_ too late."

* * *

Kiba and Ino made it to the library a few minutes later, the room filled by a few students here and there but not too crowded. Their group was always the largest (Kiba thought that's why they were always on their own...they could get a little loud sometimes) and Kiba was glad for the little space they had made their own.

Hinata was the only person sitting at the table, but he could see Sasuke and Naruto's things in their usual spots. Kiba placed his bag beside Naruto's then moved a few seats over and sat beside Hinata, resting his head on her shoulder. Hinata tilted her head to rest against his and moved a hand up to gently pat his cheek.

"Rough Monday?"

"You have no fucking idea, Hina."

Hinata nodded and said nothing to that, instead moving her hand to rub over Kiba's shoulder. Kiba sighed.

"Naruto and Sasuke left?"

"To go to the cafe. They’re getting snacks for everyone."

Kiba hummed quietly. "Who else is coming today?"

"Well...Lee and Tenten are still away at their martial arts competition, Neji is helping my dad with something, Sakura doesn’t come anymore since she started her residency, Shino might show up but he’s always been unpredictable, Gaara’s busy at Kankuro’s tattoo shop, and Sai…” She tilted her head to the side slightly. “I’m not sure about Sai but I _think_ he’s with Gaara helping with tattoo designs. He’s been there a lot lately.”

Kiba nodded at the information and smiled softly. “You didn’t stutter at all through that, Hina.”

The Hyuuga blushed and nodded softly. “I know...I-I’ve gotten better at managing it at school.” She frowned at her sudden stutter and Kiba kissed her forehead.

“It’s great! I’m so proud of you. Soon you’ll be able to talk like it’s just me and you all the time.” Kiba smiled and Hinata’s blush deepened. She turned her face to the side, hiding behind her hair.

“T-Thank you…”

Kiba let out a small chuckle then sighed. “But I guess the only people who are going to be here are the people who know what happened…” He sighed again and stood up. “I’m going to the bathroom. I’ll be back.”

Hinata nodded and nearly fell out of her chair when Ino hurried to her side as soon as Kiba was out of sight.

" _Hinata_." The blonde woman rushed out, her friend jumping in shock at her sudden appearance.

"I-Ino!" She squeaked out, placing a hand over her chest. "You scared me!"

Ino smiled apologetically and waved a hand in between them. "Sorry, Hina. I just need to make sure that you know." At Hinata's confused expression, she looked around them to make sure there was nobody watching them. Upon confirming there were no eyes on them, she continued. "About...you know. Shikamaru and Kiba." She lifted her hands up, making the fingers of one hand into an 'O' shape and then using her pointer finger of her other hand to poke through it once, twice, thrice.

Hinata watched her, her face growing bright red with each poke. "Ino!" She whisper-yelled out and grabbed her friends hands, looking absolutely _scandalized_ by Ino's actions. "You can't just...oh! You can't just _do_ that!"

Ino rolled her eyes at her friends actions and pulled her hands back. "I just needed to make sure and I didn't want to say it out loud."

Hinata shook her head wildly, her hair becoming messy and Ino let out a giggle at how she reacted. Ino _might_ have done that on purpose to get her friend to become so flustered.

...what? It was nice to get Hinata to loosen up sometimes.

Ino reached a hand up and smoothed it over Hinata's hair. "Calm down, Hina." She smiled when her friend looked at her. Her blush had grown brighter and now reached the tips of her ears. Ino giggled again. "Anyway..." Ino grew more serious and sat straighter in her chair. "You do know what happened, right? Kiba said you did."

Hinata ran her hands over her cheeks; she felt how hot they had gotten and she did her best to dispel her blush. "I-I do...Shika told you?" Ino nodded and Hinata pressed the tips of her fingers together. "How, um...h-how is he doing?"

Ino frowned a bit at Hinata's stutter and habit of finger touching, but she knew the woman still got flustered very easily so she didn't allow herself to feel too much worry over it. "He's...odd." Ino sighed softly, looking at her friend. "He's trying to act like nothing happened, but...I can tell he's distressed."

"Kiba's upset about it too..." Hinata whispered out and bit down on her lip. Worry was emanating off of her and she startled when Ino grabbed her hands.

Ino steadied Hinata's hands in hers and the Hyuuga was shocked at the way her hands had begun shaking. "Yeah, I imagine it's a pretty hard situation to be in, especially considering Kiba's...um..." Ino's voice faded off, the blonde realizing she should be more careful with her words because she didn't know if Hinata knew all she did.

"Kiba's feelings...?" Hinata offered quietly and Ino let out a soft rush of air at the confirming words. She was glad she hadn't revealed anything she shouldn't have.

Ino and Hinata sat in silence then, the blonde relaxing as she felt her friends hands stop shaking in hers. She smiled and let go of her once all the trembles subsided and Hinata smiled gratefully, albeit a little shy at the way Ino had picked up on her anxiety right away.

"Yeah, that..." Ino sighed. "For being a genius Shikamaru sure didn't make a smart decision, did he?"

Hinata shook her head and made to reply when Naruto and Sasuke walked to the table, the two carrying a few drinks and snacks for their group that was soon to arrive.

Naruto set the items down on the tables beside his and Sasuke supplies and flopped down in his seat. "Why the _fuck_ is the cafe so far from here?" Naruto huffed out and crossed his arms over his chest.

Ino rolled her eyes and leaned over the table, swiping a cup of iced coffee from the snacks before settling back in her seat. "There are vending machines closer, but _you,"_ She pointed at the blonde. “Are the one who always wants to try some new drink whenever we study.” She took a sip of her coffee.

Naruto made like he wanted to protest, but he changed his mind and nodded instead. "...okay, true." His head snapped up as the library door slammed open and a fuming Kiba stomped his way inside. The librarian furiously shushed him and a few other students looked at him with displeasure but he paid none of them any mind as he stalked back to his seat. Ino and Hinata watched him, shocked, and Naruto shot a concerned look at Sasuke as Kiba ripped his chair away from the table to sit on it.

The Inuzuka folded his arms and placed his head on them. There was a heavy silence between them all and Naruto quickly grabbed a piece of paper. He scribbled out a quick note of ' _are you okay_?' and slid it over to Kiba. The man picked his head up, gave Naruto an incredulous look, and grabbed his own pen. He scratched a reply into the paper and shoved it back at Naruto.

' _What the fuck do you think?_ '

The paper had torn in some places where Kiba pressed the pen down a bit too forcefully, and Naruto frowned. He looked at Hinata and Ino; Hinata was staring at Kiba, looking quite disquieted, and Ino looked monumentally confused. She shrugged when Naruto pointed to Kiba, and Naruto looked to Sasuke but he looked just as puzzled as everyone else.

Suddenly Chouji walked to the table and sat down beside Ino. The blonde turned to look at him, motioning to Kiba, and Chouji let out a sigh. He shrugged and mouthed 'Shika' to her, and she clenched her fist around her cup of coffee. The ice in it rattled, and if the cup were full it would have exploded. Just then Shikamaru strode up to their table, hands in his pockets, looking positively bored. Ino looked at him, an intense expression on her face, and Shikamaru stared back at her.

Naruto watched the two of them carefully, glancing at Kiba out of the side of his vision when the other man shifted in his seat. He saw as Kiba turned his head to the side slightly, enough so he could see Shikamaru. Kiba's hands clenched and Naruto reached for him when Sasuke placed a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look at his boyfriend, frowning when the Uchiha shook his head.

There were two silent conversations going on between the seven of them, on opposite sides of their table, and it was creating a very odd air surrounding everyone. There was so much _tension_ in their little private bubble they seemed to have created and it felt more than a little perilous. Everyone at the table knew what had happened between Shikamaru and Kiba yet they were _not_ going to talk about it openly so there was a giant elephant in the room.

Suddenly, Sasuke cleared his throat and addressed Ino, asking her if she still needed help on an assignment of hers or if she had managed to finish it herself. The blonde turned to look at him and Naruto saw the iciness in her gaze and noticed how tense she had gotten. She murmured out a small ' _I'm fine_ ,' and looked at Hinata when the woman spoke to her.

Naruto felt annoyance rise in him and he looked at Shikamaru. The other man had since sat down, slumped back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. Naruto narrowed his eyes at him and Shikamaru stared back at him, bored expression not wavering for a second.

Naruto sneered at him and would have gotten up to smack the look off of his face had Sasuke not put a hand on his thigh. He glanced at his boyfriend and frowned at the warning glare he was being given. Sasuke squeezed his thigh when the blond made no move to relax.

"Sasuke..." He uttered out lowly, not enjoying the way he was being stopped. He wanted to confront Shikamaru about what could have happened to put Kiba in such a state and he wanted to do it _now_. His boyfriend, however, was having none of that and nodded his head at Naruto's backpack.

"You have assignments to do. Do them." Sasuke said back to him in the same low voice Naruto had spoken to him in.

The blond scoffed and moved Sasuke's hand off his thigh, picking his backpack up and placing it on his lap. "'Do them'," He said in a mocking tone as he grabbed his laptop and pulled it from his bag. Beside him, Sasuke sighed and grabbed his laptop to do his own work.

Everyone worked quietly amongst themselves for a while, the only sounds around them of typing or pages turning in textbooks. It didn't feel normal to any of them; usually everyone was helping one another with something they were having difficulties with or there was pleasant conversation among the group but there was none of that today. It was so uncomfortably _quiet_.

Naruto snuck a peek at Kiba who didn't seem to have moved at all from his slumped position. He frowned and looked at Shikamaru across the table; the man was reading something, but as Naruto watched him he noticed he wasn't turning a single page. Naruto thought that odd as the man was a freakishly fast reader and as he watched him he realized Shikamaru looked...distracted. Naruto jumped a bit when Shikamaru flicked his gaze to look at him and Naruto snapped his gaze away from him to look back at Kiba. He looked at Shikamaru from out of the corner of his eyes and noticed the other man was watching Kiba now. Naruto bit on his lip nervously and jumped when he felt Sasuke place a hand on his shoulder.

The blond turned to his boyfriend, a lost look on his face. Sasuke sighed and typed something on his screen before turning it so Naruto could see.

_‘Calm down_.’

Naruto frowned and looked at Sasuke. He typed a response on his own screen.

‘ _im perfectly fucking calm sasuke_ ’

‘ _You’ve been tapping your foot for the past ten minutes_.’

‘ _im calm!!! if i wasnt i would be strangling shikamaru right now. he did something to fuck kiba up and now i need to fuck **him** up_’

Sasuke sighed and rubbed his temples.”Naruto…” He said softly and went back to typing on his computer.

‘ _A few things. 1) I’m not going to let you fight Shikamaru. 2) You don’t know for sure that Shikamaru did anything. Don’t you think maybe Kiba did something? 3) ...I love you. Idiot_.’

Naruto fought to keep the small smile that wanted to spread over his features at Sasuke’s last point but he couldn’t stop the twinge of annoyance that hit him.

‘ _u and i BOTH know it was shika who did something, dont try to pin it on kiba. shika doesnt look any different from how he usually does while kiba looks like someone died. and i didnt say anything about fighting...i just wanna strangle him a little bit. also leave me alone, im busy_.’

‘ _You’re on Gaara’s instagram looking at tattoos he’s done_.’

‘ _thats busy!!!_ ’

Naruto punctuated each exclamation point with a loud tap of his 1 key. He shot an annoyed glare at Sasuke then let out a huff and turned away from his boyfriend, effectively ending their conversation. Sasuke rubbed his temples and closed his eyes. How did Naruto being mad at Shikamaru turn to make Naruto mad at _him_ as well?

The rest of the study session went by much like the first-half had; very little talking with the silence only punctuated by tapping keys and turning pages. The tenseness of the air hadn’t shifted; in fact, it seemed to have only gotten more oppressive. It was...awkward, to say the least. Kiba hadn’t moved from his position even slightly and Shikamaru couldn’t stop stealing glances at him. Overall it wasn’t the _best_ way to spend a Monday afternoon.

Suddenly someone’s alarm went off and they all looked around for the sound of it. It turned out to be Ino’s alarm and the blonde quickly shut it off, but not before announcing she’d be leaving for the afternoon.

Ino packed her things up, swung her bag over her shoulder, and stood. She stared at Shikamaru until the man looked back at her and she quickly glanced at Kiba. Shikamaru’s expression didn’t change and Ino glowered at him.

“Chouji, we’re leaving.” Ino didn’t wait for him to answer. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and let out a loud ‘hmph!’ as she walked past Shikamaru; the man rolling his eyes at her. Chouji quickly followed after her but squeezed Shikamaru’s shoulder as he passed him. It was a brief gesture but it made Shikamaru visibly loosen up.

Hinata stood as well and looked at Kiba. She hesitated a moment before leaning over and kissing the crown of his head. “H-Have a good rest of your day.” She smiled timidly as she straightened up. Naruto and Sasuke waved at her and Kiba...well, he didn’t even seem like he heard her. Hinata sighed and turned to leave. She caught Shikamaru’s gaze and did her _best_ to glare at him. It must have done something because Shikamaru at least had the decency to look guilty.

Naruto began packing up his things as well, when he felt Sasuke shift beside him. The Uchiha turned to the side and pecked Naruto's cheek, lingering there for a moment. "I'm going to talk to Shikamaru." He whispered and pulled back but Naruto grabbed his wrist.

"Kiba told you that you didn't need to." He whispered back. Sasuke shrugged and Naruto dropped his hand from around his wrist. 

"That was before. Things have changed. Besides...he’s my friend too; this isn’t on Kiba’s behalf."

Naruto sighed but nodded anyway.

Sasuke spared a last glance at Kiba before parting and walking to Shikamaru. He tugged the man up with a gruff 'come with me' and the Nara barely managed to grab his bag before Sasuke was dragging him off.

Naruto watched the two go and placed his chin on his hands. He sighed again.

What a _mess_.

* * *

Sasuke dragged Shikamaru to the first empty room he came to and went inside with the other man. He closed the door behind them and looked around, noticing the room looked mostly unused. It was probably utilized by a group or something which was fine by Sasuke; empty and unused probably meant they wouldn’t be bothered. Sasuke walked to a table and leaned against it, setting his bag down and rubbing a hand over his shoulder. He felt more tense than he should.

Shikamaru hadn’t left from where he was standing by the door, but his gaze was zeroed in on a window across the room. He looked as if he wasn’t all there, and Sasuke frowned. What had _happened_?

* * *

_Shikamaru stepped into the bathroom just as Kiba was washing his hands and Shikamaru froze. Shikamaru wished he could have just stepped back and exited the bathroom quietly before Kiba saw him, but the man had looked up when the door closed and saw Shikamaru in the reflection of the mirror above his sink. Kiba's eyes widened and he spun around, bracing his hands against the counter. Shikamaru closed his eyes, sighed, counted to three mentally, and opened his eyes again. Kiba was still staring at him with the same wide eyed expression and Shikamaru stared back at him._

_The Nara looked around and, noticing there was no one else in the bathroom with them, shoved a door stop under the door to keep anyone else from entering. He didn't feel right with what Kiba had overheard earlier and figured now was as best a time to deal with it. Sure they were in a gross bathroom but...it would have to do._

_He shoved his hands into his pockets and walked to Kiba, stopping once he was in front of him._

_"...yo." Internally Shikamaru groaned at himself. 'Yo'? ' **Yo** '? What a wise choice of greeting, because this conversation just **r** **eeked** of casuality, did it not? _

_Kiba looked up at him, expression changing from shock to confusion to acrimony. He turned around to grab a paper towel to dry his hands off on and, after discarding the used paper towel, he moved to shove past Shikamaru but the other man sidestepped him._

_"We need to talk."_

_"We tried to talk this morning and that ended with your tongue shoved down my throat." He crossed his arms. "And I wanted to talk to you earlier but I don't think I need to hear anything else from you."_

_Shikamaru rubbed the back of his neck and tilted his head back slightly. "What I said...you shouldn't have heard that."_

_Hm. Strike one._

_Kiba narrowed his eyes at the other. "'Shouldn't have heard it'? Is that supposed to make me feel better or something?"_

_Shikamaru sighed and closed his eyes. "That's not...that's not what I **meant**." _

_"So...what? You meant I was never supposed to find out that being with me was, what did you say?" Kiba pretended he was thinking then snapped his fingers. "'A drunken mistake that meant nothing', and 'if you could go back and not do it, you would because you’ve never regretted something more in your life', right?" Kiba stepped up close to Shikamaru, poking a finger against his chest. "How could that mean anything else?"_

_Shikamaru sighed and grabbed Kiba's finger. He held it for a second before shoving it away and glaring down at the other man. Kiba's anger was rubbing off on him and it was making him feel a little less sorry with each passing moment. "You know...you've got a **lot** of attitude for someone who got hard this morning when I kissed him." _

_Kiba bristled at that and a faint blush grew over his cheeks. "That...if I remember right I'm not the only one who got hard." Kiba hated the way he stumbled over his words and quickly tried to shake himself so he didn't feel so **nervous**. But then he got an idea as he suddenly remembered what Ino had told him earlier and he figured he could take a shot at talking about it. "If...if this has anything to do with your sexuality, it's okay, yeah? It's nothing to be ashamed of, Shika. You know that, right?" Kiba hoped his voice sounded as gentle as he meant it to and he chanced at smiling encouragingly at the other. "I can even help you, if that's what it's about." _

_Shikamaru looked lost after Kiba's words, as if they had swiped all his thoughts from his mind. The two men stared at one another, Kiba practically seeing the gears and cogs turning in Shikamaru's head. It was clear to Kiba, then, that Ino's thoughts about Shikamaru were right. Everything seemed to click into place for Kiba and the overwhelming urge to hug Shikamaru came over him and he almost acted on it. Almost because Shikamaru had to open his **big fucking mouth** and chase Kiba's feelings away as quickly as they had hit him. _

_"I know it's nothing to be ashamed of, but it's not me. And even if I **did** like men, I wouldn't like **you**." _

_And that makes strike two, Shikamaru. Are you trying for three?_

_Kiba's smile fell and his breath hitched, heart lurching in his chest and hands balling into fists at his sides. He saw the way slight doubt seemed to flicker over Shikamaru's face after the words were out of his mouth but the other man quickly cleared his face of any emotion and his normal bored expression was back. Kiba had the creeping suspicion that Shikamaru had told him that **specifically** to hurt him and **fuck** if it didn't work spectacularly. _

_"Did you wake up this morning and decide to be a dick or what?" Kiba glared at Shikamaru, letting his anger be his foremost emotion because he was **done** letting the other see his hurt. "I get that what we did must be hard for you considering like... **everything** , but do you think that gives you the right to be such an ass to me? Because if that's what you think you're wrong." Kiba stumbled back a few steps when Shikamaru advanced on him. His steps stopped when his back hit a wall and he narrowed his eyes up at the other man. He hated the way this act of intimidation seemed to work so well. _

_"Look," Shikamaru braced his hands on either side of Kiba's head and stared down at the other man. It wasn't lost on him that Kiba could **easily** get himself out of this position, could easily shove Shikamaru out of the way and leave but he hadn't; that told Shikamaru that he wanted to hear what he had to say. "You can think whatever you want to because I know I can't change someone's mind for them, but you need to realize I don't like men. I don't know why people think I do all of a sudden." _

_**Because we had sex? Because you kissed me? Because it's obvious if you think about things for more than a second?** All those thoughts ran through Kiba's mind but for once he didn't say any of them, knowing it probably wouldn't help the situation much. _

_"For someone who says he doesn't like men, you seemed to have no problem with fucking me...unless your brain is rotten and you think I'm a woman." Kiba smirked then, watching as Shikamaru's eyes narrowed marginally. "Though...I don't think I can really be mistaken for a woman, can I?" Kiba's smirk fell away to a sneer. "And are you forgetting what you said to me when you made **these**?" Kiba tugged the neck of his shirt to his side, revealing just a **few** of the marks that were on his neck and shoulder. Some of the marks that weren't as dark to begin with had faded a few shades, but some were still a bright shade of cerise and the deep bite mark Shikamaru had made on his neck...well, Kiba was glad he decided to place a bandage on it. _

_Shikamaru opened his mouth to make a retort, but Kiba stopped him. "Or what about **these**?" Kiba brought up the hem of his jacket, tugging it up along with his shirt and exposing his chest. "Do you remember what you said to me, huh? Do you?" Kiba wasn't giving Shikamaru any time to answer, rushing out his words without taking a breath. "You said, 'I like making known what's mine', Shika." Kiba wound a hand around Shikamaru's neck, nails digging into his skin. "Do those sound like the words of a straight man to you?" Kiba's voice had turned raspy and he turned a fierce glare on his friend. _

_Kiba knew he was flirting with danger with his words but he found he didn't care all that much anymore. He wanted a **reaction** from Shikamaru. He wanted arguing and angry words and Shikamaru **losing it** because at least then it would be **genuine** ; not this manufactured gay-denial Shikamaru seemed to be stuck in. _

_Kiba didn't back down when Shikamaru returned his glare, standing firm in his ground. This was the **closest** they'd come to talking about things today and Kiba didn't want to give Shikamaru an out just yet. _

_"I was drunk, Kiba. I didn't know what I was saying."_

_Kiba scoffed at that. "Stop trying to blame everything on being drunk. You're a big boy." Kiba moved his hand from it's spot on Shikamaru's neck and gave his cheek a mocking pat. "Take accountability for your actions. Besides," He leaned up then, tauntingly close to Shikamaru now. "What's your excuse for this morning? You were completely sober then." Kiba lightly scratched a finger beside Shikamaru's ear, chuckling at the shiver the action earned him, and pulled his face back from the other man. "You're just lying to yourself." Kiba knew he was probably being a little harsh, especially if Shikamaru was going through what Kiba thought he was, but...Kiba was frustrated._

_Shikamaru set his jaw, his teeth clenching in his mouth, and Kiba felt the muscles in Shikamaru's face tense up under his hand. Kiba pressed himself as far into the wall as he could when Shikamaru bared down over him. There was a look in his eyes Kiba was getting a little tired of seeing._

_"You need to learn when to shut up, Kiba."_

_Seeming to completely contradict his words of not liking the other man, Shikamaru angled his face downwards and took Kiba's lips in a kiss._

_And there we have strike three. Ding ding ding! Guess who's out!_

_Kiba's eyes widened and he shoved Shikamaru away from him, the other taking a few steps back, and fiercely rubbed the back of his hand over his lips. "What the fuck is **wrong** with you?!" Kiba turned an angry glare on Shikamaru. "Am I...are my feelings some kind of **joke** to you or something? Do you think you can just do or say whatever you want to me?" Kiba held his hand out, placing it on Shikamaru's chest when the other walked to him again, effectively placing distance between them. "Just...just fuck off." Kiba shot one last glare at Shikamaru before striding to the door. He kicked the door stop away from the door and wrenched it open. Shikamaru watched him leave and cursed himself, kicking at a trash can and knocking it over. It clattered to the ground and rolled a few feet away. _

_"God **damn** it." Shikamaru muttered out and turned to look at himself in the mirror. _

_He was so screwed._

* * *

Sasuke snapped his fingers in front of Shikamaru's face, pulling the man out from his thoughts. Shikamaru looked at his friend, saw the look on his face, and puffed out a sigh.

"What?" He bit out harshly. 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the other man. "Don't get an attitude with _me_ because _you_ fucked up."

"I..." Shikamaru sighed and closed his eyes. He shook his head. "Sorry. What do you want?"

Sasuke crossed one of his legs over the other, leaning back against the table and scrutinizing his friend. Shikamaru always looked tired, but Sasuke saw that he looked even more so today. The shadows he had under his eyes were darker than usual and he looked quite tense, which was entirely understandable.

"I want you to fix things with Kiba. It's only been a weekend and I don't how know how _you_ have been dealing with what happened but Kiba's been pretty torn up about it." Shikamaru's eyes opened at Sasuke's words and he let out a breath. Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest and watched as Shikamaru walked to the window he had been staring out of, cracking it open. He pulled a cigarette out of his pocket and lit it; Sasuke continued talking. "I know if it comes down to you that you'll never deal with things and that this will ruin you and Kiba. You, him, Chouji, and Naruto have been friends for the longest out of all of us. Are you prepared to throw that all away? Because that's what's going to happen."

Shikamaru blew out a mouthful of smoke, barely glancing at Sasuke. "I'm not going to throw away anything. Most friendships have a natural end at some point. This might be ours."

Sasuke stared at his friend, extremely skeptical. "That's bullshit. You and I both know that." He let out a sigh and tilted his head back. "Look...you can drop the whole 'I don't care what happens' act with me. I've seen it enough from you and I know this is just your way of shoving things away so you don't need to deal with them. I know you like Kiba at least a little bit, _don't fucking look at me like that; you are **not** that good at hiding things_, and I know this whole...repression thing you're dealing with. I went through it. Most people like us," Here Sasuke motioned a hand between him and Shikamaru. "Do." Sasuke held a hand up, silencing Shikamaru when he turned an angry look on him. "Don't even _think_ about denying it, I already know."

The cigarette Shikamaru had been smoking was snuffed out on the ledge of the window and fresh ashes from a new cigarette quickly joined the pile the previous one made. Sasuke pushed off the desk he was leaning against and strode to his friend, stopping beside him. They stood in silence long enough for Shikamaru's second cigarette to become just as snuffed as the first one, and for a third one to be lit. Finally, Shikamaru looked at his friend tiredly. The Uchiha was looking at him blankly though not at all coldly. It was a look Sasuke had mastered over the years and Shikamaru had figured out it meant he was giving people the option of talking or not talking with no fear of judgement. Sasuke wasn’t someone who most people felt they could talk to but those who knew him knew that Sasuke was actually one of the _best_ people to open up to. Sure he could be abrasive but he was also very introspective and knew how to look at things impartially and impart his own experiences when it was needed or when he could give someone support.

Shikamaru knew he could trust Sasuke, he just wasn’t so sure he could trust _himself_ to open his mind to what Sasuke would tell him. But...he would have to try.

"I...I don't know what's _wrong_ with me, Sasuke." Shikamaru took another drag of his cigarette and Sasuke noticed the slight tremble of his hand. "I'm not...I'm not _gay_. I like girls, I like _Temari_ , but I..." He bit down on his lip. "I feel attracted to Kiba at the very least and I don't know what the fuck I'm supposed to do with that." His voice has gotten quieter as he spoke, his last sentence a near whisper. It was almost like he was scared to say things too loudly. Maybe if he was quiet enough his words would simply drift away instead of lying like dead weight in the pit of his stomach.

"Shikamaru...there's nothing wrong with you." Sasuke frowned at the pained look he saw on Shikamaru's face. "Please remember that, okay? If nothing else, remember there's nothing wrong with you."

Shikamaru took a long drag of his cigarette, blew the smoke away, and gave the faintest nod he could.

"Now I don't know what you're going to do about everything else because even _I_ never managed to fuck up this bad," Shikamaru cut into Sasuke's words with a bitter chuckle and Sasuke rolled his eyes. "But I do know it's only going to get harder the longer you leave things alone. I think...I think you're dealing with a lot of bottled up stuff from who knows _how_ long ago and I'm not sure why you told yourself you don't like guys for so long but I think confronting all that stuff is going to be the most important thing you can do, aside from sorting things out with Kiba." Shikamaru gave another faint nod at that and snuffed out his cigarette. He wished he'd had more than three left in the box.

"I...yeah." He let out a sigh and ran a hand over his face. "I _might_ have made things worse today...just a little bit." At Sasuke's raised eyebrow, Shikamaru explained what had occurred earlier in the day in the library and the later confrontation in the bathroom. Sasuke listened quietly to everything, already having come to assumption himself that something must have happened between them that day. Sasuke's mind hadn't immediately gone to them nearly having sex in the library but he preferred his mind _didn't_ go that far anyway.

When Shikamaru was finished he let out a sigh and rested the back of his head against the top of the open window. There was a pleasant breeze blowing through it and it tickled the back of his neck.

Sasuke ran through all the things Shikamaru had told him in his head and was astounded with how _badly_ Shikamaru had handled, well... _everything_.

“That’s...huh.” Sasuke found himself at a loss for words and Shikamaru grunted in response. “No wonder Kiba was so upset.”

“Yeah...I didn’t handle things the best, huh?”

“You can say that again.” Sasuke clasped a hand on Shikamaru’s shoulder and the two looked at one another. “I think you need to figure out what you’re going to say to Kiba before you talk to him again. Also,” Sasuke narrowed his eyes. “I don’t know if you initiated things with him after the party but you _were_ the one to initiate things both times today which probably wasn’t the smartest decision, was it?”

Shikamaru sighed and thumped the back of his head against the window he was resting against. “Not at all.” Shikamaru tapped his foot against the floor. “Also...is Naruto mad at me? He seemed pissed.”

“He is, but can you blame him?” Sasuke let out a dry chuckle and shoved his hands in his pockets.

“Well...no, I guess not.” Shikamaru frowned.

“He’ll be fine in a few days. I think he was angered more by Kiba’s mood in the library than anything else. Plus we’re...dealing with something right now so he’s been on edge.” Sasuke shrugged. “You know how he is; he can never stay mad at his friends for too long. It’ll be alright.”

“Dealing with something?”

“Yeah...an impending visit from my father, brother and prospective wife.”

“Your fucking _what_?” Shikamaru looked at Sasuke, absolutely gobsmacked.

Sasuke clenched his jaw and looked out the window. “My not being married yet is apparently another issue my father has with me so he’s taken it into his own hands. Won’t he be shocked to find out I have no interest in women.”

“That’s...that’s so fucked. You’re an adult now, or does he not know how old you are?” Shikamaru pursed his lips. “Itachi couldn’t talk to him about it?”

Sasuke snorted. “You mean his number one lackey? Itachi’s the one who dropped all this on me over the weekend.”

Shikamaru took in a sharp breath. “So you two still aren’t close?”

Sasuke shrugged and stepped back from him. “I’m starting to think we never were close to begin with. Besides, my father has never been the most patient of men; I should have known this would happen one day or another. ‘Have to keep the pedigree of the Uchiha going’, or whatever the fuck.” He glanced at a wall clock at the front of the room. “I’m going to head home. You...do some thinking tonight, alright?” He looked back at Shikamaru and was pleased when the other nodded. “See you.”

Shikamaru grunted out a goodbye as Sasuke left. He sighed, closed his eyes, and shoved his hands in his pockets.

Monday’s were so damn _troublesome_.

* * *

Shortly after Sasuke and Shikamaru left, Kiba had stood up, hastily grabbed his things and rushed out of the library. He had startled Naruto at his sudden movement and the blond jumped in his seat, quickly gathering up his own things and rushing after his friend. Naruto had to nearly _run_ to catch up to Kiba and when he had the other didn't even look at him. They walked together until they got to Sasuke's car and Naruto unlocked it just in time for Kiba to wrench the back door open and jump inside. After the door slammed, Naruto watched as Kiba pulled his hood over his head, tightened it with the drawstrings, and let out a scream. Naruto winced, counted to three, and opened the passenger side door. He slid in quietly and placed his bag on the backseat beside Kiba.

Naruto was trying to figure out something to say when Kiba interrupted him.

"You're not going to _believe_ what that asshole said to me!"

Kiba wasted no time in launching into telling Naruto what had happened in the bathroom, anger and hurt lacing his words. Mid-way through he had thrown his hood off - Naruto wondered why he even put it on in the first place - and Naruto noticed the tears that had pooled in the corner of his eyes. He had reached up to brush them away and gave an encouraging smile at Kiba when he had faltered in his retelling. When Kiba continued on there was a catch in his voice that wasn't there before but he pushed through it and the anger came back into his voice stronger than before. By the time he was done he was panting slightly and his hands were shaking. Naruto clasped his hands over Kiba's and held them in his own. The blond held Kiba’s hands until he felt the Inuzuka stop shaking and he gave a sympathetic smile as he withdrew his hands.

“Do you feel better after getting all that out?”

Kiba pursed his lips and turned his head to look out the window. “A bit, I guess. I’m just...I’m so fucking _frustrated_! Like... _he’s_ the one who started things today, not me. _He_ kissed _me_ this morning then he thinks he gets to tell me that ‘even if he liked men he wouldn’t like me’? And then tried to kiss me _again_ after saying that? I should have punched him.”

Naruto had stayed silent as Kiba ranted, letting the man get as much of his anger out as possible. Kiba was someone who felt his emotions hard and fast and stayed like that until the emotions left him; there was never much dissipation in his feelings. He felt things with every fibre of his being until they left and could get back to his baseline mood. It could be troubling sometimes because it often made him lash out when he didn’t want to and had led to his anger getting the best of him on more than one occasion. Kiba was quite the spitfire at times.

Naruto watched as Kiba slumped back into his seat and crossed his arms across his chest; he seemed to visibly deflate and Naruto smiled when Kiba looked at him.

“Anything else you need to get out?”

Kiba opened his mouth to say something, furrowed his brows and instead let out a loud huff. “Just that I hate his stupid face…” He muttered which caused Naruto to roll his eyes.

“Uh-huh, I’m sure you do. But what are you going to do now? Today wasn’t exactly the _best_ -case scenario but did it help to clear things up?”

Things were silent for a minute and Naruto almost thought Kiba hadn’t heard him, but then Kiba seemed to perk up out of nowhere and there was… _some_ look in his eyes that Naruto couldn’t quite decipher. “It cleared _some_ things up sure, but not a lot. It doesn’t matter too much though because I’m going to make him regret that he ever fucked with me. And fucked me, for that matter.”

Naruto frowned, not even looking up when Sasuke got into the car. “Kiba...what do you mean?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.”

Kiba words said one thing but the twinkle in his eye did absolutely _nothing_ to convince Naruto of their meaning. Naruto knew how impulsive Kiba could be, had seen it countless times in the past, and Naruto knew once the Inuzuka had decided on something that there wasn’t much that could change his mind. They were alike in that way; they both had such a dogged determination and once they were rolling you better get out of the way or they’ll bowl you over. Normally that aspect of Kiba’s personality wasn’t all that bad on it’s own, but now...well, let’s just say Kiba’s resentment towards Shikamaru plus their mutual attraction and Kiba’s devil-may-care attitude was an equation for trouble.

The unwelcome butterflies that accompanied anxiety began to flutter in Naruto’s stomach and the blond clenched his hands into fists on his lap. He could feel Sasuke looking at him and Naruto pursed his lips, taking a sidelong glance at his boyfriend before turning and looking out the window. 

Sasuke watched his boyfriend with apprehension. Everything about the blond screamed that he was tense and all Sasuke wanted to do was take him in his arms and make things better. He knew that wouldn’t work though so instead he decided to let Naruto be for the moment.

Sasuke started the car and placed his bag on the seat beside Kiba, quirking a brow when the Inuzuka made a sound of disapproval.

“You smell like smoke. Did you talk to Shikamaru? I told you that you didn’t have to.” His words came out more defensive than he meant them to.

“You did, but that was before today.” Sasuke glanced at Kiba through the rearview window. “And don’t forget that he’s my friend, Kiba. This situation doesn’t exist in a bubble where you’re the only one dealing with it. I wanted to see how he was doing.”

Kiba slouched back in his seat, chagrined at the way Sasuke didn’t leave any room for argument with his words.

“You two don’t seem like you managed to talk about anything today. Besides...out of the two of us, who has a lesser chance of making out with him?” Sasuke remarked, a slight smirk on his face.

Kiba flushed and looked away guiltily. “I...It’s not like I _meant_ for it to happen.” He mumbled and turned to look out the window.

The rest of the car ride was taken in silence; Kiba was embarrassed to be so easily called out by Sasuke, Sasuke was busy driving, and Naruto...he seemed to be off in his own world.

Sasuke drove until they reached the shelter Kiba’s mum owned and stopped the car outside of it.

“I’ll walk home, you two can drive.” Kiba said as he opened his car door.

Sasuke turned in his seat to look at him. “You sure?”

Kiba nodded and grabbed his bag from the seat beside him. “Positive.” Kiba looked at Naruto and frowned when he noticed the blond was still staring out the window absently.

“Sasuke...make sure he’s okay, yeah?” Kiba said quietly to which Sasuke nodded.

“Don’t worry.”

Kiba sighed before hopping out of the car. “See you guys at home.”

Sasuke nodded and waited until he saw Kiba had gotten Akamaru, watching as the other started on the walk home before turning around and driving in the opposite direction

* * *

Sasuke drove for a few minutes before pulling over on the side of the road, and Naruto turned to look at him. “Why did we stop?” The blond looked down when Sasuke placed a hand on his thigh and took a moment before placing his hand on top of it.

“Just...I want to make sure you’re alright. Today was tense.”

Naruto sighed at his boyfriend's words and he nodded. “It was. I’m sorry for being short with you earlier, I’m just...I’m so _pissed_ at Shikamaru. I mean...did he tell you about what happened today?”

Sasuke nodded and tapped his fingers against the steering wheel. “He did. I knew things weren’t going to be easy and that one day wouldn’t fix things but I didn’t expect they’d end up doing what they did.” Sasuke rubbed a hand over his forehead. “Even _we_ weren’t this bad and we were teens when all our problems happened.”

“Yeah, but we also weren’t dating anyone outside of what was happening between us. _You_ were just being a stubborn jerk who didn’t want to admit he liked me.” Naruto rested his head against his window. “Plus we had our moments. Remember the roof?” Naruto gave a slight smile at the memory. “I can’t believe we had _sex_ up there...what were we thinking?”

Sasuke let out a laugh through his nose and rubbed his thumbs over Naruto’s knuckles. “Probably that if we did it anywhere else we’d get caught. Don’t forget that _you_ were the one who suggested it.”

“Only because you told me you had the roof key!” Naruto laughed. “You told me on purpose, didn’t you? You probably knew I’d want to go to the roof if I knew we could. You’ve always been too clever for your own good.”

Sasuke smirked. “Maybe I did, maybe I didn’t; doesn’t change that the only reason we ended up on the roof that day was because of you. Besides, look at us now. We worked out, didn’t we?” Sasuke turned Naruto’s hand over in his and laced their fingers together.

Naruto squeezed his hand and gave a soft nod. “We did, but...it also took us _years_ to get here.” The blond bit at his lip. “We went through so many things to get where we are now. And it’s not...it’s not _really_ the same thing, you know? Our biggest issue was you just not admitting how you felt. With them there’s the whole issue of Temari and whether or not Shikamaru feels anything for Kiba...” Naruto brought a hand to his mouth and bit at his nails, voice fading out. His brows pinched together and he squeezed over Sasuke’s hand a bit tighter.

Sasuke leaned over in his seat and placed a kiss on Naruto’s cheek. “Don’t get so worked up.”

Naruto looked at Sasuke and let out a sigh. “I’m sorry, it’s just...it’s so _hard_ , Sasuke. I hate seeing Kiba so hurt and I…” He bit down on his thumb, looking close to tears. “I hate seeing Shikamaru pretend like he doesn’t care even though I fucking _know_ that he does and I know he’s hurting over it too but he’s part of the reason they’re both like this and it fucking _sucks_ because they’re both my friends a-and neither of them deserve to be like this and-” Naruto stopped himself when Sasuke kissed his forehead.

“Naruto, _breathe_.” Sasuke said as he pulled back and cupped his boyfriend’s face. “I know how deeply you react when your friends hurt, but please try to calm down.” His voice was soft and Naruto couldn’t have imagined a more soothing sound in that moment. “You’re already stressed about what’s going on with us and I don’t want to see you break down over things you can’t control.”

Naruto placed his hands over Sasuke’s and gave them a soft squeeze. “I’m sorry…” His words were faint and he fought down the lump in his throat. He turned his gaze to look at his boyfriend and made what was supposed to be a smile but appeared more to be a grimace than anything. “I just hate what’s going on.”

“I know, just...you’ve been doing so much better lately and I don’t want what’s going on to be the catalyst for things to get bad for you again.” Sasuke glanced at Naruto’s wrists and the blond gripped his hands over Sasuke’s tighter.

“I won’t let myself get like that, I promise.” Naruto watched Sasuke as he gently grabbed his hands. The Uchiha kissed over Naruto’s palms, then moved lower and kissed over his wrists. “I know how hard it was for you when I was...well, you know.”

Sasuke gave a short nod and exhaled tensely. “Yeah...” He murmured and Naruto could tell his voice had gotten a bit tighter. “I’ve been through a lot but that was the worst thing I ever experienced. I was so _scared_...” Sasuke shook his head and cleared his throat. Naruto looked away guiltily as he saw tears pool in Sasuke’s eyes but the Uchiha quickly blinked them away. “You’ve been doing so much better and I don’t want you to get back into old habits. I know how hard it is to relapse.”

Naruto pulled his hands back and tugged at the sleeves of his sweater before folding his hands in his lap. “I won’t...I’ll _try_ not to get like that again, okay? I know how to manage my thoughts better now. Plus I’m not...I mean I’m still depressed because I know it doesn’t just go away but I’m not in the same state I used to be in, yeah?” Naruto looked at Sasuke then and gave a gentle smile. “It’s just stress and anxiety. And...I know I’m not alone now. My mood might be a little...weird the next few days but I’ll be okay, believe it!”

Sasuke rolled his eyes at Naruto’s words but they also made him smile. He wouldn’t lie and say he wasn’t still worried about his boyfriend but he was grateful for Naruto being so aware not only of his own feelings, but also how things would affect Sasuke.

Naruto tilted his head as Sasuke tucked a lock of blond hair behind his ear. “I love you, Sasuke.” He smiled. “And, just for the record, I’m not mad at you.” Naruto looked at the other man. “I’m sorry for earlier.”

A gentle kiss was pressed to Naruto’s cheek before Sasuke pulled back. “It’s fine. I understand.” Sasuke smiled as Naruto grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together. “Home?”

Naruto smiled and nodded. “Yeah. Home.”

* * *

When Sasuke and Naruto got home Kiba was mid-way through a phone call ordering pizza. The two men kicked off their shoes and Naruto practically threw himself onto the couch. Kiba came over after hanging up the phone and laid himself on top of Naruto, back to front. Naruto huffed but found he didn’t have the energy to get Kiba off of him.

“I ordered us all pizza. I don’t have the energy to cook.”

Naruto nodded and sighed. “I don’t blame you. Today was...well. It was a day. You and Shikam-”

Kiba let out a loud groan, interrupting the blond. “No more talking about him today. If I hear his name one more time I’m going to lose it, Naru.”

Kiba had tensed up at Shikamaru’s name and Naruto nudged the back of his head against Kiba’s. “Okay...no more of _him_ tonight. Now,” Naruto squirmed under Kiba. “Get offa me, will ya?” Naruto groused. “You were already on me once today which is more than enough.”

Kiba sighed and bared his weight down on Naruto more. “But you’re so comfy.”

“And you’re not so get _off_!”

Kiba snickered and wiggled himself down on Naruto before conceding, hopping off the blond. “As you wish, princess.” He bowed to the blond which earned him a knee to the stomach.

“You’re lucky I love you otherwise you’d be,” Naruto dragged his thumb over the front of his neck and made a choking sound. “You know?”

“Yeah, yeah...we both know you’re all talk.” Kiba relaxed into his chair and fluffed a hand through his hair. “So...what are you two going to do when Sasuke’s people get here?” Kiba addressed both Naruto and Sasuke; the latter had come into the living room and sat beside the blond after lifting him from his prone position on the furniture.

“Don’t call them my _people_.” Sasuke made a face. “I have doubts they’re actually humans.”

Naruto lightly swatted Sasuke’s thigh but relaxed against his boyfriend nonetheless when he was pulled against his side. “Sasuke...they’re your family.”

“Yes. And we’re all robots.” He said in a monotone voice and didn’t flinch when Naruto elbowed him in the stomach.

“Oh my god, you’re such a _loser_ sometimes.” The blond rolled his eyes then looked at Kiba. “And what do you mean what are we going to do?” He cocked his head to the side lightly. Naruto felt his anxiety rising in him at the mention of Sasuke’s family’s impending visit and he was glad for the Uchiha’s stable presence near him. He still felt uneasy from the events of the last few days.

“Like...I dunno, what are you guys gonna tell them about _this_?” He gestured to the two. “And _when_ are you going to tell them?”

Sasuke rested his head on Naruto’s shoulder and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend’s waist. “Well,” He smiled when Naruto relaxed against him. “I initially wanted to tell them right away but Itachi informed me that they’re going to be here for a fucking _week_. So...if I come out right away that means I’ll need to deal with the fallout from that for _seven damn days_.” A dark look came over Sasuke’s features and he gripped Naruto closer to him unconsciously. The blond rubbed a soothing touch over the Uchiha’s forearm.

Kiba nodded. “True...but what if you coming out makes them run for the hills? If you tell them first thing they could just pick up and leave, like, _immediately_.”

Sasuke tilted his head at that and looked to be seriously considering Kiba’s words. “Huh...that’s actually not a bad idea. Though, my dad doesn’t really have an issue being confrontational and me being gay is probably the last thing he’d ever want for me so he’d want to chew me out as much as possible. I’ll have to think about it.” Sasuke sighed. “Best course of action is probably just waiting until the end and dropping it on them, though. Leave the least amount of room for trouble.”

“Yeah...are you sure you want to come out though?” Kiba scratched the back of his head and Sasuke raised a brow at him.

“I’m entirely certain I want to. Why?”

“Well...I was thinking if they came and you got some weird vibe from them that me and Naru could pretend to be dating and you’d just be living with us.”

“Kiba… _why_ would I live with you two if you were together?”

“Uh...roomies?” Kiba offered and grinned. “They know you’ve been friends with Naru for, like, _ever_ so maybe he convinced you to move in with us to have friends or something?” He shrugged.

Sasuke stared at him for a moment before shaking his head. “I appreciate it, but I don’t want to bring you into this whole mess. Besides, I don’t think they’d buy it.”

“Maybe not. Though they’ll probably be so shocked when they see you they might believe almost anything.”

Sasuke’s brows furrowed at Kiba’s words and he frowned. “Why would they be shocked?”

Kiba looked pointedly at Sasuke’s arms and the Uchiha stared back at him. “ _Dude_ ,” Kiba rolled his eyes. “You’re all tatted out and have more piercings than any of our other friends, except for Gaara. You weren’t like that until you started uni.”

The Uchiha looked at his arms then reached a hand up to run over his ears and realized Kiba was right. He did look _quite_ different from when he last saw his family. His right arm was a sleeve tattoo consisting of a large purple snake that was poised and ready to strike; the tail wrapped around his forearm and the head of the snake was on his bicep. The snake was surrounded by various bits of foliage and near the tail of the snake there were red clouds that it was emerging from. Sasuke’s left arm had black flames extending from the end of his wrist up to his shoulder where they surrounded a tattoo of a tomoe that was on his neck. The last tattoos he had were a giant pair of wings that took over the entirety of his upper back. As for piercings...well, Sasuke had _several_. Both his ears had stretchers and industrial piercings, but from there the left and right differed slightly. His right ear had an additional tragus piercing and two normal lobe piercings, where his left had a spiral helix and anti-helix. He had piercings on his face, too; his left eyebrow had a barbell in it and he had snake bites.

Oh...Sasuke’s family had no idea and they were going to be _pissed_

Sasuke let out a deep chuckle. “You’re right, and my dad is going to be _furious_ ; he always said how much he hated people who modded their bodies. I can’t wait.”

“He might disown you just on your looks alone.” Kiba laughed and stood when the doorbell rang. Pizza!

“Fucking _g_ _ood_.”

When Kiba went to pay for their pizza, Sasuke nuzzled his face against Naruto’s neck and gave it a soft kiss. “Hey...you doing alright? You’ve been quiet since we started talking about my family coming to visit.” Sasuke trailed his lips up Naruto’s neck and layed a chaste peck over the corner of his lips.

Naruto hesitated for a moment before turning around in Sasuke’s hold and looking up at the other man. “Just...I’ve been thinking.”

“Don’t hurt yourself.”

Naruto sneered and pinched Sasuke’s thigh, causing the other man to wince. “Shut _up_ , jerk.” Naruto huffed, then averted his gaze and traced his finger over the back of Sasuke’s hand. “...don’t get mad, okay?” Sasuke fell silent then, hearing the seriousness that dripped into Naruto’s voice. “So...I know you’ve decided you want to come out to them and all but…” Naruto worried his lip between his teeth. “What if I just pretended to...to be a girl?” He glanced at Sasuke but couldn’t discern anything from the sudden blank look on his face. “Like I could get a wig, some clothes, and I could cover my cheeks with makeup...I could even get contacts! And I wouldn’t need to talk much, just be around enough for them to see that you’re with a girl and don’t need to be married off.” Naruto offered a small smile. “It could work, don’t you think? I’m not some big hulky dude and I’m sure with the right outfit I could pull it off…” He scratched his cheek nervously and his voice dropped to a whisper when Sasuke didn’t say anything.

For a moment Sasuke could do nothing but stare at Naruto who was beginning to feel more than a little foolish. Naruto looked away again and started to pull away from his boyfriend.

“Actually nevermind, it’s a stupid idea...anyways, the pizza’s here so-”

“Naruto...” Sasuke sighed and grabbed Naruto’s hands, pulling the blond back to him. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Kiba take one step into the living room before sensing the seriousness of their conversation. The Inuzuka promptly spun around and walked into the kitchen.

“Look...I’m glad you would offer to do something like that for me, but I would _hate_ for you to be placed in that situation.” Sasuke placed a finger under Naruto’s chin and tilted his boyfriends head up. “I don’t want you to ever pretend to be someone else for my sake. And even if that _were_ a possibility, they know you. It’s not like you're a stranger to my family.”

“That’s why I said I could get contacts and cover my cheeks, so they wouldn’t recognize me!” Sasuke was shocked at the intensity of Naruto’s voice, and it made him frown. The blond looked incensed as well and it brought pause to Sasuke’s thoughts. His mood definitely _was_ weird today.

“Babe...” He spoke softly and moved his hands to rub over Naruto’s upper arms. The blond felt tense. “Why are you suggesting this all of a sudden?” Naruto wouldn’t look at him. His eyes were darting all around the room before his shoulders slumped and he looked down at his lap.

“I don’t want you to throw away your relationship with your family for me…” His voice was so quiet, so meek, so utterly _sad_ , that Sasuke felt his heart squeeze in his chest.

“Naruto, hey… _hey_. Look at me.” When blue eyes shining with tears looked at him, Sasuke pulled his boyfriend to his chest and hugged him. “I would give up everything I have if I had to for you. _Everything_ , Naruto.” Sasuke pulled back enough to look at his boyfriend and he began rubbing his back. “You mean more to me than my family ever could in a thousand lifetimes. You...you are my family. Or at least you will be one day.” Naruto’s left hand was brought up to Sasuke’s mouth and the Uchiha placed a gentle kiss over his ring finger.

“I’m...I-I just...it’s your _family_ you bastard…” Naruto slumped forwards, resting his head against Sasuke’s chest and wrapping his arms around his waist. “I’m not good enough for you to lose them for.”

Sasuke frowned and felt anger flare in his chest. He was going to _murder_ his father and brother for how they were making Naruto feel and they weren’t even on the same fucking _continent_ as them yet. “Naruto Uzumaki don’t you _ever_ say you’re not good enough ever again.” Sasuke gripped the sides of Naruto’s face in his hands and tilted his head up. “You are more than anything I could have ever hoped to have in my life, got it? I love you more than anything else on this planet.” Sasuke’s voice was overly harsh and abrasive for someone who was saying how much he cherished someone and the juxtaposition of it made Naruto crack a small smile.

“I know you do, I’m just...” Words seemed to escape Naruto because he simply shrugged.

“I know...” Sasuke murmured into Naruto’s hair as he kissed the top of his head. “I’m always going to love you, Naruto. Even when you don’t love yourself, even when you give all the love you should be giving to yourself to _me_ , I’m going to be here to make sure you always have a heart to come home to.”

Naruto gripped his hands into the back of Sasuke’s shirt and melded himself against the other until they could feel one another's heartbeats. “When did you get to be so _corny_ , Sasuke?” Naruto whispered with a gravelly voice and Sasuke could hear the quiver in it, could hear the sadness coating Naruto’s normally boisterous personality.

“Sometime between accepting myself and falling in love with you.” Sasuke whispered back and Naruto made a choking sound that Sasuke thought was supposed to be a laugh.

Sasuke looked up when Kiba popped his head up to look into the living room and the Inuzuka held up a box of pizza. Sasuke nodded and Kiba popped back into the dining room, returning to the living room a few minutes later with pizza boxes and plates for the three of them. He placed the food on the table and Naruto pulled back to look at him. The two stared at each other and Kiba held up a water battle, pressing it against Naruto’s cheek. The blond flinched away from it and rubbed at the wetness the condensation from the bottle left on his cheek.

“That was cold, Kiba.” The blond grumbled and stuck his tongue out.

Kiba placed the bottle down and tugged Naruto by the back of his shirt until the blond disentangled himself from Sasuke.

“Soon I’m going to be shoving ice in your hand if you don’t stop talking like this.”(*) Kiba wrapped his arms around Naruto’s shoulders and held him close.

Naruto dipped his head so his hair covered his eyes. He hated the way his mood was being picked up on by the two people he cared for the most in his life. A part of him still wished he was alone like when he was younger; back then people wouldn’t worry for him, wouldn’t notice his emotions.

“I’m okay, I promise.” Naruto moved his hands up to rub over Kiba’s and the Inuzuka held him tighter.

“It’s okay if you’re not though, you know that, right? It’s okay to not be okay, Naru.”

“I know, but I’m okay, really.” He turned his head and rubbed his cheek against Kiba’s. “I’m just stressed is all. I’ll be fine.”

“Damn right you will be. I’ll fight your demons myself if I fucking have to...” Kiba grumbled and pulled back from Naruto. The blond laughed quietly and looked at his friend.

“Hey...you have your own stuff to deal with right now.”

“When have my own problems stopped me from helping you?” At Naruto’s silence, Kiba ruffled his hair and smiled. “Lean on us sometimes, why dontcha? It’s what we’re here for!”

Naruto pursed his lips but sighed and nodded all the same. “Yeah, yeah...now enough about all this... _stuff_.” Naruto scrunched his nose up. “It’s gross vibes.” The blond grabbed the pizza Kiba had brought into the living room and busied himself with grabbing a few slices.

Kiba and Sasuke shared a look; Kiba’s gaze flickered to look at Naruto then back at Sasuke. The Uchiha gave a short nod and Kiba let out a breath of relief. Kiba knew how to read Naruto well-enough himself, but Sasuke could connect with the blond in a way Kiba would never be able to. It was reassuring to Kiba that Sasuke thought the blond was okay. Things were...copacetic.

Suddenly a remote was tossed his way and Kiba barely reacted in time to catch it before it hit him in the face.

“Oh my god, _warn_ a guy Naruto.”

Naruto gave a cheeky grin in reply and cuddled against Sasuke’s side as they all settled in to eat. “Who would keep your reflexes sharp if not for me?”

With a roll of his eyes Kiba settled into his arm chair and let himself relax for the first time all day. “My bad, I guess I should be thanking you.”

“Damn right you should be!”

Kiba stuck his tongue out at the blond and turned to find something on TV they could all watch. Somewhere through reruns of some comedy show and a cheesy romance movie the trio made fun of Naruto fell asleep, slumped against Sasuke’s side. Kiba looked at him with a fond smile then stood and began cleaning with Sasuke, the two silently agreeing to let the other man sleep as they worked.

Kiba was part way through putting away dishes with Sasuke when a nagging question bubbled up in him.

“Hey, Sasuke?” The Uchiha grunted at him. “Is he...is he really okay?”

Sasuke faltered in putting away a glass, placing it down more forcefully than he meant to. “He’s...healing.” Sasuke’s voice was tight, words short. “It’s not really a yes or no answer.”

Kiba gave a terse nod and looked at the back of the couch in the living room. “I know it’s not and I know he’s a lot better, but I guess I just...don’t really understand? I’ve never felt that way before so it’s hard for me to totally understand what it’s like.”

“It’s probably something you never _will_ fully understand. I hope you don’t, at least.” Sasuke crossed his arms and leaned against the counter. “Just know that you’re doing fine. What he needs is love and support and he gets that from us; it’ll help him take care of himself if he knows how we feel about him.”

“That makes sense, but,” Kiba sighed and looked at the Uchiha. “I just don’t want him to hurt anymore, you know?”

“I know. Believe me Kiba, _I know_. We just need to trust him when he says he’s doing alright and help him if we notice anything changing with him.” Sasuke thinned his lips and tilted his head back. “We all just need to try our best.”

Kiba nodded and covered his mouth when he yawned. “Hm...our best.” He agreed and stretched his arms above his head. “I think I’m going to try and sleep. I’m exhausted.”

“Hn. I should get Naruto to bed too.”

Kiba walked to the living room with Sasuke and he leaned over the back of the couch, pinching Naruto’s cheek lightly. The blond whined and shuffled, looking at the other blearily after opening his eyes.

“You are _not_ the face I want to see when I wake up, Kiba...” Naruto’s words were slightly slurred with sleep and he moved a hand to rub over his cheek.

Kiba sneered and pinched his nose. “Hey, plenty of people would _kill_ to wake up next to me.”

Naruto batted his hand away and looked at Sasuke from where he was laying. “S’uke, protect me...the big bad wolf is trying to get me.”

Kiba rolled his eyes and moved a few steps back as Sasuke sighed and picked the blond up, grunting quietly with the effort to lift his boyfriend. 

“Who are you, little red riding hood?” Kiba grumbled as Naruto settled against Sasuke’s chest. The blond nuzzled his head into Sasuke’s shoulder and yawned.

Naruto closed his eyes and Kiba suddenly felt the urge to protect him. Naruto wasn’t weak but there, held in Sasuke’s arms all curled up and snuggled into his chest he looked fragile, delicate; as if the slightest touch could break him. Kiba reached a hand up to run over his hair and the blond smiled at his touch. Kiba felt his breath catch on a lump that had formed in his throat and he quickly retreated.

Sasuke looked at him with concern on his face but Kiba shook his head, smiling tensely and clearing his throat. “See you tomorrow. Goodnight.” Kiba’s voice caught on his words and he gave Naruto one last glance before hastily making his way to his room.

It was only Monday and it had already been one hell of a week.

With a head swirling with thoughts Kiba shuffled into bed beside Akamaru, the large dog huffing and stretching out beside his owner. The Inuzuka rubbed a head over his forehead and curled up in his bed. He closed his eyes and exhaled a heavy sigh.

At the very least, Kiba finally got a full night of sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suicide help-lines:  
> Canada: 1-833-456-4566  
> United States: 1-800-273-8255  
> [Worldwide sources](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_suicide_crisis_lines)
> 
> there is no shame in suffering from depression and you are always, _always_ , worth your spot in the world. there are people out there to listen to you; all you need to do is reach out and let them help. you dont need to suffer in silence. i love you all 💖
> 
> (*) holding ice in ones hand is a way some people distract themselves from thoughts of self-harm. its one ive done myself many times.
> 
> also i hope sasuke tattoos were easy to imagine...i basically used his curse marks from the anime tho so i think we all know what they look like lmao (except the snake...thats just sasu aesthetic babes!!!) i spent so much time on thinking of his look too and like. for what reason,,,hes not even part of the main couple fkldmblfdn its okay tho...sasu is a sexy man who deserves sexy tattoos
> 
> and im not sure when ill update this but ill try my best to not take too long!!!
> 
> kudos and comments are much loved 💕


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